


Titans Tales

by TariSilmarwen



Series: Titanverse [1]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Angst, Babysitting, Beast Boy ships it, Broken Bones, Canon Compliant, Canon Disabled Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Chess Metaphors, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cyborg ships it, Episode: s01e13 Apprentice Part 2, Episode: s02e01 How Long is Forever?, Episode: s02e12 Aftershock: Part 1, Episode: s03e05 Haunted, Episode: s03e18 The Beast Within, Episode: s04e03 Birthmark, Episode: s05e08 Lightspeed, Episode: s05e10 Go!, Episode: s05e12 Titans Together, F/M, Female Friendship, Final Battle, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Major Character Injury, Minor Injuries, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s01e12 Apprentice Part 1, Post-Episode: s02e10 Betrayal, Post-Episode: s03e18 The Beast Within, Raven ships it, Robin does not know How To Do Girls, Team Mom Argent, Team Mom Bumblebee, Titans Oceanic, Whump, after battle patch ups, slade is an abusive manipulating asshole, special guest appearances by the Justice League, the T-Car, the twins are adorable and i love them, together they troll robin mercilessly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 60
Words: 172,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21828736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TariSilmarwen/pseuds/TariSilmarwen
Summary: Collection of one-shots and short stories, exploring the minds and lives of the Teen Titans and their friends. Sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but never dull.
Relationships: Baby Wildebeest & Rosabelle Mendez, Dick Grayson & Garfield Logan, Dick Grayson & Koriand'r, Dick Grayson & Raven, Dick Grayson & Slade Wilson, Dick Grayson & Tara Markov, Dick Grayson & Wally West, Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Garfield Logan & Raven, Garfield Logan & Victor Stone, Garfield Logan/Raven, Isaiah Crockett/Toni Monetti, Joseph Wilson & Rose Wilson, Joseph Wilson & Slade Wilson, Kid Flash/Jinx, Komand'r & Koriand'r & Ryand'r (DCU), Komand'r/Red X (DCU), Koriand'r & Garfield Logan, Koriand'r & Raven (DCU), Koriand'r & Victor Stone, Leonid Kovar & Rosabelle Mendez, Raven & Victor Stone, Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen, Sarah Simms/Victor Stone, Tara Markov & Slade Wilson
Series: Titanverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530074
Comments: 19
Kudos: 106





	1. Of Mistletoe and Mum's Cookies: Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This collection is... kind of special to me. It was pretty much the first fanfic I ever posted, over on FFnet and back when I was a brand-new baby writer. I just finished it up this year and I'm still amazed at how much I've grown. I hope you enjoy the journey with me.
> 
> Please pardon the early chapters. They were written when I was seventeen and are a bit rough and unpolished. I've made some some minor edits here and there, to reword awkward dialogue or smooth out some plot wrinkles, but for the most part the chapter text is preserved in its original state. Original author notes are largely not preserved unless I think I said something particularly funny or interesting in them.
> 
> I will be tagging as I go so don't be surprised if it starts becoming a bit of a wall o' text--there are a LOT of characters and dynamics I cover in this fic.
> 
> All that being said, I hope you enjoy!

December 19th and at the Titans Oceanic Tower the decorations were finally being put up. They might have been done sooner if not for the reluctance on the part of a certain human wildebeest—who despised bright lights of any kind. Eventually though, after much prodding and pleading from the others, he consented.

Hot Spot and Jericho were in OPS, putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. Herald was busy stringing lights and garlands somewhere around the Tower. Argent had gone off Christmas shopping and who knew where Wildebeest was—probably off in the forest avoiding the Christmas lights.

Jericho stood on a ladder, hanging a small blue bauble on one of the upper branches. When it was in place, he snapped his fingers twice to get Hot Spot's attention. The black-skinned pyro looked up.

"Ready for another ornament?" Hot Spot guessed.

Jericho nodded.

Hot Spot moved to the open boxes of ornaments scattered on the floor. Sifting through the empty ones, he located a package of shiny golden balls. He fitted one with a hook, returned to the tree, and handed it up to Jericho.

"Looks great. Keep it up Jericho."

The mute boy smiled and nodded.

Hot Spot returned to the pile of boxes and grabbed another gold ball to hang on the tree. At that moment a horn sounded a clear, mellow note, and Herald stepped through the portal that opened up in the middle of the room. He still held a few remaining light strands.

"Hey Herald!" Hot Spot greeted the newcomer. "How's the Tower look?"

"I jazzed things up a bit but didn't go overboard," Herald replied coolly, idly twirling his silver horn. "Wouldn't want to hurt WB's eyes too much," he continued, putting away the unused light strings. "By the way, there's another bunch of packages on the doorstep. Want me to bring 'em up?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Before you could say "Merry Christmas" Herald was gone again, courtesy of his portal-opening horn.

Hot Spot and Jericho continued to work on finishing the tree. In no time at all Herald had reappeared with a pile of brown packages in tow. Jericho jumped down from the ladder and hurried over to help Herald sort them. Hot Spot paused to finish hanging one more ornament on the tree, then came over as well.

"Looks like we got somethin' from Titans East," Herald announced, reading the return address on one of the boxes.

"Correction: Looks like _you_ got something from Titans East," Hot Spot corrected, looking closer at the label. "Probably a Christmas present from your _girlfriend_."

Herald laughed a little sheepishly, then picked up another box. "Titans North sent us somethin' too." He pulled out his pocket knife and went to work on the masking tape. Making short work of it, he pulled open the flaps to reveal two wrapped Christmas girls and a jar of cocopolinos, a contribution from Kole no doubt.

"I call dibs on those," said Hot Spot, reaching into the box to extract the jar.

"Hey, man! Let the rest of us have some too!" Herald protested, grabbing for the fruits himself.

Jericho rolled his eyes as he maneuvered around the other two to pick up the two gifts. One was for Argent, or "Argent-chan" as the label actually said, from Bushido, who some time ago had unofficially 'adopted' all the Titan girls as his sisters and had taken to addressing them as such. The other package was addressed to him, from a certain pink-haired girl who lived near the North Pole. Jericho quickly got up and hid that one underneath the tree.

"Looks like Argent's mom sent her another Christmas present," Herald commented, looking into the package he'd just opened, having given up the wrestling match with Hot Spot.

"Another one?" Hot Spot exclaimed incredulously. "Hasn't she gotten twenty already?"

"Twenty-two. This makes twenty-three," Herald responded.

"Jeez, that girl is spoiled…"

The door opened suddenly with a loud _hiss!_ and the topic of their conversation breezed in, shopping bags in hand and green leaves curiously woven into her hair.

"'ello boys!" Argent greeted them. She walked over to the kitchen area, boots making a heavy clodding on the dull carpet.

"Is that…holly?" asked Herald, staring at the makeshift tiara.

"Yup. Three pounds a vine," she said, setting her bags down on the counter.

"In your _hair?_ "

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not? I like weaving live foliage in my hair."

A beat.

"Cool."

Argent smiled, a small half-smile that played at the corner of her mouth.

Hot Spot spoke up. "By the way, your mom sent you another package."

"Did she now?" Argent asked excitedly, descending upon the pile of packages and immediately identifying the ones in question. "Thank goodness it's finally here! I was beginning to think it'd never arrive."

"The keys to your Lamborghini?" Hot Spot teased.

She looked up at him with a glare. "The ingredients to make her special Christmas cookies."

"You sure there's no MasterCard hidden in there somewhere?" the pyro needled further. He was probably being a pain, but Argent just looked so cute when she was angry.

Argent dropped the box with a heavy _thud!_ "Oh, come off it, would you!"

She knew she was spoiled. She often resented that fact, especially when her mother's over-zealous generous displays of affection prompted teasing from her male teammates, Hot Spot being the worst of the lot.

"Okay Argent, I'll stop. I was just kidding," the pyro told her, raising his hands in mock surrender and flashing her a winning grin.

Argent was decidedly unimpressed. She sighed and returned to the counter to pick up her shopping bags, leaving her mother's package where it was on the floor for the moment.

"If anyone needs me I'll be in my room wrapping presents. The tree looks great, by the way."

With that she drifted out into the hallway.

-TT-

About an hour later and in a vastly improved mood, Argent reemerged from her room with a smile gracing her lips and the newly wrapped presents in her arms. Humming Christmas carols absent-mindedly, she made her way down the hallway to the main room.

 _The boys really did a nice job with the Tower_ , she thought, gazing down the hallway with delight. Someone had hung strings of tiny colored lights in the corners between the wall and the ceiling, illuminating the corridor with a faint multicolor radiance. It struck just the right balance between flashy and festive, without being too bright for Wildebeest's sensitive eyes. She'd have to ask the boys how they pulled it off.

She reached the door to the main room and it slid open automatically.

Jericho was sitting on the floor in his usual spot, picking out the notes to "What Child Is This?" (Or was it Greensleeves? She could never tell the difference) on his guitar. Wildebeest was also in habitual area—namely the kitchen—downing a large bowl of his favorite chow.

The other two boys would usually be on the couch, engaged in some kind of virtual death match on the Gamestation; however, due to the fact that the tree was now partially blocking their view, they were now seated much closer to the screen. The boys themselves were out of sight, but she _could_ see a little of the game they were playing. It was a racing game they were particularly fond of.

Argent ambled over to the tree and bent down to place several of her Christmas presents underneath. Two she set on the table take to the post office later. There was one left, though, that required some special service.

She straightened up and walked around the tree. There were the boys, sitting Indian style in front of the screen, flicking and clicking buttons like mad. Argent looked up at the game and immediately had to lean back from the blur.

"Won't that be bad for your eyes?" she asked, craning her neck painfully to make sense of the pixels and colors.

"Nah, it's fine. We don't mind," Hot Spot answered. He was in his powered-up state, and with the way he was furiously clicking buttons Argent felt very certain the controller would soon melt in his hands. Nevertheless, she didn't comment about it and instead turned her attention to Herald.

"Herald?"

"Yeah?" he answered, continuing to watch the game.

"When you're done, could you pop over to Steel City and deliver this to the doorstep of Titans East Tower for me?" She set the present down beside him.

"Sure thing Argent," His eyes never left the screen.

"Thanks oodles Herald."

She stood up and watched the boys continue playing for a minute.

"You're going to melt that console Hot Spot."

Hot Spot looked up from the game, but she was already walking off. Then he looked down at his hands.

"Aw man!"

He was too late. Sure enough, the plastic had melted and dissolved in his hands and begun forming a puddle on the floor.

"Told ya."

Hot Spot bit back a smart-aleck reply and reached for the spare control.

-TT-

December 20th. Hot Spot stumbled out of his room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The light strings in the upper corners looked like soft colored blurs in his half-awake state. Hot Spot shuffled down the hall to the main room.

The door slid open and a pleasant cinnamon smell met his nostrils. He was fully awake in an instant. He looked around to discover the source and noticed two very important details—Argent standing in the kitchen cooking, a cutely scrunched frown on her face, and a plate of cookies on the counter. Hot Spot quickly decided he didn't need to know anything else and dive-bombed the cookies like a kamikaze on caffeine, devouring half the plate within the blink of an eye. He was in the middle of scarfing down the second half when he suddenly glanced up.

Argent was staring at him.

The sight halted Hot Spot mid-bite. He finished chewing what was already in his mouth, set the half-eaten cookie down on the counter, and grinned sheepishly at his female friend, trying to suppress nervous laughter.

"Heh-heh! Hi Argent!"

She said nothing, gaping at the plate that a moment ago had been quite full. Her wide eyes flicked up to him.

He started sweating. "What?"

"Those were for the Christmas party."

_Whoops._

"Er, well… I'm sure the guests won't mind too much," Hot Spot said, a little embarrassed but trying to play it cool. "You can just whip up one of your cool New Zealand dishes and nobody will notice."

"Bloody heavens Hot Spot! I spent an hour on those!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "One hour deciphering my mum's handwriting so I don't mix up the ingredients and you in'aled them in three seconds! I thought only Wildebeest could pull off a stunt like that!"

A loud _grunt!_ met their ears. Wildebeest stood in the doorway, a little displeased and put out by that statement.

"Sorry chap, but you _do_ eat like an animal," Argent explained apologetically, throwing her friend a small smile.

Wildebeest tried to growl discontentedly but found it hard. So he snorted instead and entered the room, reaching for the cookies—whose sweet cinnamon smell had brought him to the room in the first place.

Argent's smile disappeared. "Not you too!" she cried.

"What's all the ruckus?" asked Herald and he and Jericho entered the room. The teleporter abruptly stopped and sniffed the air. "Hey, something smells good! Is that cinnamon?"

Wildebeest grunted in the affirmative.

"Argent's mom's recipe," Hot Spot explained.

"Sweet!" Herald declared, reaching to try one.

Argent sighed, resigned to her fate. "Polish 'em off, I'll make another dish," she told them, emptying the bowl of icing batter she'd been mixing into a storage jar.

 _Argent?_ asked Jericho in sign-language, noticing the flustered demeanor of his friend.

She managed a tired smile. "I was _going_ to serve those cookies at the Christmas party. But now…" She trailed off and waved a hand at the others, now busy stuffing their faces with cookies.

 _Anything I can do?_ asked Jericho.

Argent considered asking him to whack the other three upside the head with his guitar, but decided against it. She popped a finger into the half-done batter in the jar, having a taste of her concoction, a wicked gleam coming into her eyes as she remembered the secret of her mother's special Christmas cookies—a secret that had very much to do with the special ingredients her mum had sent her.

"It's nothing Jericho. Don't worry you'self about it," she said, an evil and slightly maniacal look in her eyes.

Jericho decided very quickly that he didn't want to know.

-TT-

A while later, after the Titans had responded to an alarm and had a brief fight with a motorcycle-riding petty criminal—who had somehow gotten his hands on a high-tech laser from China—Hot Spot, Herald, and Wildebeest collapsed on the couch with a startling revelation.

They didn't feel very good.

Of course it probably had something to do with the fact that none of them had eaten anything besides the cookies that morning—and a lot of them to boot—and the inordinate amount of sugar was most likely wreaking havoc on their digestive tracts.

They still felt terrible. And they were sure it was something besides the sugar. But Argent was too busy laughing at their stupidity to tell them and Jericho didn't know anything, so…

Finally Argent decided to let them in on the secret.

"Not feeling well, are we?" she asked smugly. "Perhaps if you weren't in _such_ a rush to eat my mum's cookies I could have warned you about how they'd make you feel later."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. We're idiots," Hot Spot glowered.

"Glad to hear you admit it so readily," she said with a smirk.

Herald moaned. He was sitting almost doubled over with his arms wrapped around his stomach, his face having taken on a light green tint.

"What was _in_ those cookies anyway?" he asked.

Argent began listing off ingredients nonchalantly. "Flour, eggs, cinnamon, a _lot_ of sugar and some potent spices to cover up the taste of the main ingredient."

"Which is?" Herald asked hoarsely.

She grinned.

"Rum."

All three boys—and even Jericho—snapped up their heads to stare bug-eyed at her.

" _What?"_

"It's a special brew that comes from Germany. Only the very wealthy can afford it. It really isn't all that bad… in small doses, that is."

The others were still getting over the fact that they had unknowingly ingested alcohol.

"You put _rum_ in _cookies?_ " exclaimed Hot Spot incredulously.

She scowled. "Well, _we_ weren't supposed to eat them. It was for the _adults_." She waved dismissively. "An' anyway I botched the recipe on that batch. It's supposed t' mix in evenly and burn out all the alcohol but I mixed something up and oversoaked 'em."

"And you couldn't have at least _mentioned_ that little detail?" Hot Spot shot back.

"It's your own fault for not asking before you ate half of 'em."

Hot Spot wanted to say something really nasty back, but decided not to, since technically it _was_ his own fault. He settled instead for glaring at her silently.

The cocky grin returned to her face. "Hope the alarm doesn't go off again today. I think you boys would be quite out of it if it came to a fight." With that, she turned on her heel and swept out of the room.

"I'm gonna get her for this…" Hot Spot muttered.

His face turned green and his inner heat rose.

"But first I need to make a sacrifice to the porcelain god."

-TT-

It was while the pyro was being sick in the bathroom that the idea for Operation: PAYBACK first began to form. Wildebeest had thought of it, and between the supplies in the kitchen and the boy's own great skills in acting, they felt like they could pull it off. But there was still something missing.

"I don't know, man," Herald confessed. "It sounds great and all, but we need something more, something really embarrassing."

Wildebeest grinned and produced from behind his back… a small sprig of mistletoe.

Herald's eyes lit up. "I like your style, man. I like your style."

Jericho just sighed. _You guys are so mean to her…_


	2. Of Mistletoe and Mum's Cookies: Part Two

Argent sat in a plush chair by the window, feet propped up on a footstool, headphones covering her ears, and nose buried in a book.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_ came the sound of someone rapping on her door.

She lifted up her head, listening. The knocking came again and she grabbed the headphones and pulled them off her ears.

"Yes?" she called.

"Argent?" Herald's voice. "Could you, uh, come out here for a minute?" He sounded nervous, as though the boys had just done something bad and wrecked the Tower.

Argent frowned. She put down her book, got up, and went over to the door. She slid it partway open to reveal the worried countenance of her teleporter friend.

"What is it?" she asked.

Herald scratched the back of his head. "Well, uh… me and Wildebeest feel a little better but, uh… Hot Spot's throwing up in the bathroom."

Argent looked at him critically. "Are you sure?"

At that moment a loud raspy heaving noise came from the direction of the boy's bathroom.

"Uh, yeah. Pretty sure," Herald replied.

Argent sighed. "All right, I'll take a look," she decided, stepping into the hallway. It sounded serious enough.

The door to the bathroom was open. In his haste to dispose of the contents of his stomach, the pyro must have forgotten to close it. Hot Spot himself was bent over the "porcelain god" in his powered-up state and looking more than a little nauseous.

As soon as she entered a wave of heat hit her face. She flinched and raised her arm to block some of the heat. "Power down would ya chap."

"Uhhhhnn…" Hot Spot groaned in reply. The heat radiating off him, however, did not abate. He retched and bent over the toilet again.

Argent pursed her lips. "I'll be right back," she announced, turning to rush out the door.

Once she was out of earshot, Herald poked his head into the bathroom.

"Doin' great man. Keep it up!"

Hot Spot's stomach twisted as he felt another wave coming.

"Not all of it's acting," he confessed, bending over once again.

-TT-

Argent rummaged through the bottles in the medicine cabinet.

_Where's that blasted ipecac? Aspirin… decongestant… Ah! There it is!_

She grabbed the bottle and checked the label, which read in neat little printed letters, "Ipecac Extract".

She frowned. They were running low. The liquid contents took up only about one-fourth of the bottle. She'd have to pick up some more later. Not that they used ipecac habitually, but in a tower with three boys, a human wildebeest, and only one girl you never knew what might happen.

She shook the bottle up and hurried back to the boy's bathroom. In her haste to help Hot Spot, she didn't see Jericho waving and signing frantically to her.

 _Wait! Argent! Hot Spot's not sick! The boys are gonna trick you into_ —

His warning fell on deaf ears, or in his case blind eyes. Argent slipped out of the room before seeing his frantic gestures. Herald, however, arrived just in time to catch them.

He glared.

"Traitor."

_Jerks._

-TT-

Hot Spot's face flushed with heat. His insides burned. It was uncomfortably hot, even for him.

And his stomach felt terrible.

He almost regretted agreeing to this prank. After throwing up the first time, he had actually felt a little better. Then Herald had come in and pitched Wildebeest's idea and Hot Spot had agreed that it was brilliant.

Though admittedly he'd probably gulped down more of the ipecac extract than he should have.

As if that wasn't enough, the rum and the ipecac weren't mixing very well in his stomach. Neither substance had been designed with the internal furnace of a human flame-thrower in mind after all. And the combination of heat, alcohol, and Amazonian plant made for a rather unpleasant concoction.

 _This will all be worth it when it's over_ , he reminded himself.

In spite of everything he managed a brief wily grin.

Which faded quickly as his stomach began to churn again.

"Ugh…" he moaned, slumping over the toilet bowl.

Soft footfalls met his ears. Argent had entered. Hot Spot managed a glance in her direction. She had knelt down beside him and seemed to be unscrewing a small bottle.

Hot Spot's eyes widened and his stomach did a flip. _Oh no, not that stuff again!_

Argent held the bottle under his nose, trying to ignore the heat coming off of him, though her face betrayed her discomfort.

"Swallow," she ordered.

A groan of refusal was her only reply.

"You need to get the rum out of your system. This will help. Swallow."

"But that stuff tastes terrible!" Hot Spot protested, knowing from experience that it did and not that eager to see what introducing more ipecac into his stomach would do to him.

"Are you going to drink this or do I have to shove it down your throat?" she asked huffily.

"No. Ipecac," Hot Spot said flatly. "My stomach can't take much more abu—"

He gagged as he tasted the unpleasant liquid dripping down his throat.

"Stubborn," Argent said, screwing the cap back on the bottle and backing off a bit, her skin tingling from the pyro's body heat.

If there was ever a time when Hot Spot felt seriously tempted to cuss out a girl, regardless of the fact that she was one of his closest friends… or the fact that her parents could sue the pants off of him… this was it.

"Oh man…" The pyro bent his head over the bowl and his stomach graciously emptied itself of its contents.

Argent felt a small stab of guilt. She really should have warned them about the cookies. True, they hadn't given her much of chance to do so, but still…

She bit her lip and cast about for some way to help. Spotting a washcloth on the counter, she grabbed it, quickly twisted the faucet on to full blast and held it under the cool stream. When it was fully soaked, she turned off the faucet, held the cloth over Hot Spot's head, and slowly wrung all the cold water out over him.

Well, he had to admit THAT felt good.

Argent resoaked the cloth and repeated the process several times as Hot Spot continued to dispose of the rum and the ipecac. Finally Hot Spot's inner furnace began to cool. His stomach settled and he gave off less and less heat until he was able to power down at last. For a few moments, he stayed where he was, breathing heavily.

"Better?" asked Argent a little nervously.

"Don't do that again. Ever," Hot Spot replied, getting up off his knees and flushing the rum-soaked cookie remains down the toilet.

"Sorry," Argent mumbled apologetically. "I didn't know what else to do and I knew we had ipecac on hand so… well…" she trailed off, slightly embarrassed. "But you _are_ feeling better now, right chap?"

Hot Spot scratched the back of his head. "You really need to re-take that first-aid class."

-TT-

Herald and Wildebeest waited by the door to the main room, snickering to each other. Jericho sat on the couch playing his guitar, having given up trying to dissuade them from carrying out their plans.

"Shh! Here they come," Herald told Wildebeest as the two took up positions out of sight.

-TT-

"I really should have warned you about th' cookies," Argent said softly, trailing after Hot Spot as she followed him out of the bathroom.

Hot Spot waved her off. "Don't worry about it," he told her as they walked down the hallway from the boy's bathroom to the main room, knowing full well she would regret that apology later. Very soon as a matter of fact; they were coming up on the main room.

"You… sure you're all right?" asked Argent, a little unsure.

"I'm fine," Hot Spot insisted. She was making him feel uncomfortable. His hands had started shaking and he sweated a little anxiously. They were coming up on OPS. "Really, quit worrying already," he mumbled. They were friends after all. They played pranks on each other all the time. And speaking of which—

The door to the main room slid open and Hot Spot paused in the doorway. Argent came and stood with him. "Well, if there's anything else I can do…" she trailed, unknowingly sealing her doom.

Hot Spot "caught" sight of something above them and smiled.

"Actually, there is _one_ thing you could do…"

Argent became immediately edgy. She didn't like that nervous and strangely excited grin on his face. And what in the bloody heavens was he looking at?

She followed his gaze to see a small but unmistakable sprig of mistletoe hanging in the frame of the doorway above them.

"Oh don't you even think—"

That was about as far as she got before Hot Spot suffered a sudden bout of courage, took her face in his hands, pulled her swiftly to him, and planted a kiss on her lips. Argent's eyes widened in shock and she swore she saw a camera flash somewhere in her peripheral vision.

On cue, Herald piped up.

"Aww, I didn't know you two had the hots for each other!"

Argent broke off the contact, pale cheeks flushing a deep red. "I—What?!—Why that—he didn't—I don't—we aren't—I mean—" she stuttered in a panic.

"Isn't it cute WB? I think it's cute." Herald told his animal friend, who grunted affirmatively.

Argent, flustered and at a loss, couldn't begin to form a reply. Hot Spot, however, emboldened and in maximum ego mode, decided to push it one step further.

"Yeah, we're just on fire with wild passion for each other," he put in, slinging his arm around her shoulder for good measure.

Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Why—why you little—"

"Uh, Hot Spot? Think ya better run for it," Herald said.

The pyro didn't need to be told twice and bolted from the room just as Argent sent a blast of red plasma energy hurtling after him.

"Wild passion, eh?! Why you arrogant, insensitive, gutter-brained—"

She took off after him.

Herald and Wildebeest stayed where they were, and waited until her shouting faded into the distance.

Then they burst out laughing.

"Ha ha! Didja see her face?"

Wildebeest made a low gruff chuckling plus a series of grunts and growls that made up his own comment on the success of their prank.

"So, didja get the picture?" Herald asked eagerly.

Wildebeest held up a perfectly captured still picture of Argent and Hot Spot's little "kiss".

"Ha! Great work man, now we've got blackmail on her for months!"

Jericho rolled his eyes, got off the couch, and headed out the door.

_I'm going to go make sure they don't kill each other._


	3. English Lessons

"Girl's gonna wreck the whole city."

The three of them crouched behind the smoking remains of a city bus—the mysterious tall boy in the oversized gray sweatshirt, the short green kid with the pointy ears and cheerful disposition, and the steely determined dark-haired boy wearing the titanium cape and the mask over his eyes. None of them had met until just a short while ago, yet already they were a team, united in purpose, and unwavering in their goal.

Which at this moment in time was to put a stop to the rampaging destruction the angry red-headed alien girl in the street behind them was causing.

She had fallen to her knees, breathing heavily, apparently exhausted by the volley of bright green energy balls she had recently unleashed upon them. Tiny fires and plumes of smoke surrounded her, a testament to her destructive abilities.

Robin, back pressed up against the bus they'd sought temporary shelter behind, ground his teeth with fierce determination. He'd just moved to this city. He wasn't about to let some feisty female from space wreck it. He pounded his fist into his palm.

"I won't let her. I won't lose this fight," he growled.

He _couldn't_ lose. Losing the first fight he got into the minute he arrived in town… that was a failure he couldn't afford to make. He wasn't just Batman's sidekick anymore. He was as capable a hero as any adult. But big-name villains wouldn't just take his word for it. He had to prove it to them, show the world he was just as good as his mentor, just as good as any member of the Justice League. How would any criminal take him seriously if he wasn't able to beat a girl smashing up cars in the street?

He had to win. He had to.

Without any further thought he sprang out from behind the bus, followed closely by the other two, all resolved to put a stop to this wayward havoc-wrecking.

Their charge was abruptly halted as a solid black wall sprung into existence right in front of them. The boys gaped in shock at the mysterious projection, which looked like a gigantic raven, screeching and stretching its wings.

A low raspy female's voice came from behind them.

"Maybe… fighting isn't the answer."

They turned towards her. She was a teenager like them, wearing ankle-length boots and clad in a long blue cloak with a hood that overshadowed her face. Two impassive violet eyes peeked out from beneath the shadow. She looked at them a minute, then glanced back down the street at the eerie bird-shaped apparition. It vanished, giving the boys a clear view of their exhausted alien foe.

She was still kneeling. Her breath came in great gasps. She appeared drained and tired, not at all dangerous. Robin noticed her still-smoking hands resting on the pavement. That was when he took a closer look at the metal bands on her arms.

They were cuffs. Why hadn't he noticed that earlier?

But he knew the answer to that. He had been so eager to fight, so eager to prove himself, that he'd missed seeing it. He felt like kicking himself.

A new plan of action began to form in his head. He took only a moment to decide to implement it.

"Stand down," he ordered the other boys.

"What, do you think you the boss or somethin'?" the tall boy asked huffily. The short green kid, for his part, merely saluted respectfully.

"Just give me a chance," Robin said over his shoulder, eyes fixed on the alien girl. He started to walk towards her.

She didn't move.

_This is insane. Why am I doing this? You don't know how she'll react. You don't even know it's going to work…_ argued one part of Robin's brain.

_Just give it a try_ , insisted another. _The worst that could happen is that she'll blow your head off._

_Gee, that makes me feel a whole lot better_ , commented the first part snarkily.

If any of the other three thought he crazy, they didn't say so, just watched him approach her cautiously.

She didn't seem to notice him at first. But once he had closed to within a few scant feet, she wearily hauled herself up and charged up her fists with the green energy, spooking him into a retreat of several yards.

"Gokta!" she warned him angrily.

Robin managed to remain calm as she leveled the glowing fists at his face. "Easy," he told her gently, holding up his hands so she would know he wasn't a threat anymore. "My name is Robin, and I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help."

He didn't know why he was telling her this. She probably couldn't understand him anyway. He only hoped his placid tone would be enough to calm her down. Very carefully he began to reach for his belt and began to dig through it.

She didn't seem to like that. She leaned in closer and repeated her warning, clearly very close to snapping.

"It's okay," he assured her calmly, pulling out a lock pick. "Look." He held it up so she could see it and smiled at her reassuringly.

There was a tense moment as she stared at the tool and at his smiling, confident face. Robin risked making a motion towards the cuffs and she seemed to understand. The glowing orbs around her fists dissipated, as did the radiance in her eyes, and she allowed him to gently push her arms down and begin working on the cuffs.

Relieved, Robin poked the lock pick into what looked like the most likely hole and started fiddling with it. As he twisted the pick inside the alien locking mechanism, he managed a glance at the face of the red-haired alien.

Her eyes were green. Not just the irises, the "whites" of her eyes were green too, and her eyebrows were tiny stubs that matched her long red hair. Her face was half-shadowed by the strange crown framing her head. She was actually kind of pretty—for an alien.

After a few seconds of tweaking there was a satisfying _click!_ and the shackles came undone. Robin moved his feet out of the way before they crashed to the ground and broke his toes.

"There," he said, satisfied, looking up at her as she massaged her wrists and gazed at him wonderingly. "Now maybe we can be—"

Abruptly, she reached for him. Robin tensed, but before he could do anything she put her hand around the back of his neck, dragged him towards her and—

She kissed him.

He dropped the lock pick in surprise.

Normally Robin was a very bright young man, able to think on his feet and react quickly to changing circumstances. His intelligence, however, seemed to have fled, indeed, melted away entirely, replaced by a most basic and primal idiocy, such as often happens to members of the male species around a pretty female.

A blush crept onto his cheeks. He remembered thinking stupidly; _Uh… wow… this is some thank you_ … or something along those lines. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, so he couldn't quite figure out _what_ to think. Though his brain had ceased to function properly, his heart seemed to be working just fine; he could hear it thudding loudly in his chest. He was off-balance, standing on his toes. His body had frozen up. Was he sweating? His face felt hot.

_Great, now she probably thinks I'm an idiot._

As suddenly as she'd grabbed him, she released him. He tilted numbly back onto his feet, a dull, dumbfounded expression on his face. He tried to think of a response, but his brain was still too busy sorting itself out to be of any use.

What the girl did next caught him even more off-guard than the kiss. She shoved him hard enough to knock him over and land him on his backside.

"If you wish not to be destroyed," she told him in perfect English, "you will leave me alone!" Then she shot off into the air, gaining altitude until she disappeared from sight.

Robin sat there stunned and said nothing, too confused to figure out what had just happened.

"So… I'm Beast Boy. Who are you?" the green-skinned boy piped up.


	4. How Did They Survive?

_Fury, wrath, hatred, loathing…_

Sinking. She was sinking into a mire, a sea of brown, a lake of mud. No, not sinking. Being dragged, pulled into the muck by strong hands made of dirt. She strained against their hold, all her being pushing forward to get at the blonde girl standing in front of her, gloating with her eyes and with her cruel smile. All she could feel was rage and hatred. Her anger consumed her. Only a single thought occupied her mind:

_Revenge._

She growled, pushing with all her might against the hold of the hands, furious emotions running rampant to try and give her powers more energy.

_Rage, anger, hatred, death…_

_Death?_

Raven's narrowed glowing red eyes suddenly snapped back to normal. She gasped as the mud closed in over her head.

She had lost control.

How could she have been so stupid? That was exactly what the geomancer had been trying to make her do, exactly what she needed to defeat her! She had fallen for another one of Terra's tricks, played right into the geomancer's hands, and now she was going to drown in the mud. Her limbs flailed desperately but she couldn't find the surface. Her breath was starting to run out. This was it. She was going to—

 _You are_ _ **not**_ _going to die Raven,_ her mind snapped at her. _Just stay calm, regain control, and figure out a way to get out of this._

She stopped fighting whatever was dragging her down, stopped trying to think about ripping Terra's head off. She closed her eyes and let herself sink gently to the bottom of the room. She waited until she felt herself brushing up against the floor. Her lungs were starting to burn a little, but she resisted the urge to breathe in, knowing all she would be inhaling was mud. She chanted her mantra over and over in her head, willing that part of her that came from her demon heritage back into the darker recesses of her mind.

Finally she raised her hand and a black dome sprung up around her. She heaved in a great gasp of air as she landed heavily on the floor. She sat there in the circle she'd cleared for herself a little while, breathing in and out and letting her mind clear.

_Okay, I managed to buy myself some time, now what?_

All she could see outside her bubble was a solid wall of brown smudge. Somewhere above her she could sense Terra's presence. Slade's new apprentice hadn't moved much from where she'd stood to rub her betrayal in Raven's face. Raven frowned in seething frustration. _She had almost a month to spy on us. I should have known she'd have found a way to beat me._

She ground her teeth.

_We should never have let that traitor near us!_

_Easy Raven,_ the sensible part of Raven's brain cautioned her.

Raven sighed.

_I need to concentrate._

She folded her legs underneath her to sit Indian-style.

She couldn't go back and fight, that was certain. Raven knew she would just lose control again. As much as she would love to introduce that girl to a world of pain right now, Terra would probably just find another way to get her riled up. No, better if she thought she'd won this round.

She needed to retreat, she decided, withdraw and regroup with the others, figure out what to do next once they were all together again and tell them about how Terra had showed up while she was fighting Overload and—

_It was a trap. Overload was a trap._

Raven felt sudden unease at the realization, remembering Terra's words from earlier. She'd just finished fighting the sparking electric monster, she had defeated him, she was starting to question him on why he was there and then—

" _Hello? Does the word 'decoy' mean anything to you? We had to find some way to coax you cowards out of hiding."_

If Overload was only a decoy… if the only purpose he served was to lure her here so Terra could kill her… then Plasmus and Cinderblock must be…

With a sinking feeling in her stomach she geared up to teleport. She only hoped she could get to them in time. She took a deep breath, inhaling slowly.

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos!"

There was a burst of dark energy and the bubble collapsed. A shadow like a raven fled away and the mud closed over the little pocket of air as though it had never been.

-TT-

Cinderblock staggered back, reeling from a volley of starbolts that had just been sent his way. While he was still recovering, Starfire and Robin attacked. They charged towards him in perfect sync, Robin running, Star flying. At the last second Robin reached up towards her and instinctively she grabbed his wrist and swung him with all her might at the stone monster.

Robin's well aimed steel-toed boot found its mark and Cinderblock was knocked back down into the quarry.

He didn't rise.

Starfire set Robin down on the lip of the quarry, which overlooked the Jump City bay from atop a high cliff. She floated down to stand next to him.

"Victory at last," she sighed in relief.

Robin nodded. Cinderblock had been unusually resilient today. It didn't make any sense. There was absolutely nothing to steal, nothing of any value to be found in the mine, at least not from his perspective. Why would Slade want to send him here?

He shook off his anxiety. Who cared why Cinderblock was there in the first place? He was defeated and that was enough. Robin pounded a fist into his palm.

"Now we can concentrate on saving Terra."

Starfire listened, but didn't respond, her attention captured by a small white flash that she'd caught sight of behind them. Her eyes widened in panic as the flash resolved itself to a large rock hurtling towards them out of the night sky.

Time seemed to slow down as she watched the rock's descent. It was headed straight for Robin. Without thinking, she reached for him, grabbed his shoulders and flung him to the side, out of the rock's path. Robin landed on the rocky ground of the quarry, bewildered, and Starfire got the full force of the rock's blow squarely across her back.

Robin felt liked he'd been punched in the gut and all the breath was knocked out of him. He watched in helpless horror as Starfire disappeared from sight over the edge of the cliff. He let out a horrified gasp and leapt up, reaching for her, but too late. Her lifeless body fell like a deadweight straight down the cliff and into the crashing surf below.

A guttural cry tore itself from his throat.

" _STARFIIIIIREE!"_

-TT-

A cloaked figure emerged from the shadows of an alley. Violet eyes surveyed the area coolly, then peeked around the corner at the empty street.

No one was in sight. Raven withdrew back into the darkness and pulled out her communicator.

-TT-

" _Hope you're not expecting a goodbye kiss."_

The cruel words rang in Beast Boy's ears as he leaned soberly against the wall of the cavern that was to be his tomb.

The darkness was complete. The air was still and silent and lifeless. The gloom weighed down heavily upon their heads. No light pierced the oppressive dimness of the cave, save for the weak red glow of Cyborg's robotic eye. Beast Boy's mechanical friend slumped against the wall next to him, saying nothing.

What could he say? What words could possibly mend the heartache he knew the shape-shifter must be feeling? Cyborg cast a small side glance in Beast Boy's direction. He could see the hurt in the changeling's eyes, the sadness, the intense anguish, even in the dark, and struggled to find something to say that would ease his friend's pain.

"Hey man…" he finally attempted. His voice sounded muted and quiet in the smothering stillness of the cave.

Beast Boy didn't look up or make eye contact, focus and attention remaining firmly on the ground in front of him.

Cyborg looked down at his own feet and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" the changeling asked glumly, eyes still occupied with the dirt by his shoes. "You didn't do anything."

"I'm sorry… she hurt you like that," Cyborg said, raising his head. "No one deserves to have that happen to them," Cyborg told Beast Boy gently, concern for his friend tinting the tone of his voice. Cyborg's eyes fell back to his feet. "Least of all you," he added, voice dropping even lower.

Beast Boy said nothing.

For a minute Cyborg was afraid that he'd upset him even further. Beast Boy remained silent for about half a minute. Finally, the changeling shifted his position against the wall and murmured softly, "Thanks."

A while later, Beast Boy lifted his head, and looked up at the roof of the cavern above them.

"Wonder how much air we've got left," he wondered aloud, peering through the darkness as though staring at the rock hard enough would answer his question.

"Not a lot," Cyborg told him gravely, not needing to check his scanners for verification to know for certain. "Probably just a couple hours' worth."

Beast Boy's ears drooped. "Great," he said, shoulders slouching even lower.

The two fell silent, lost in their own thoughts and anxieties. Cyborg occupied himself with calculating their chances of escape—which were pretty dismal to say the least. Beast Boy decided that drawing circles in the dirt with his finger was the most useful occupation of his time. They sat in the darkness, not speaking, for a long time.

There was a sudden loud beeping noise that shattered the silence of the cavern and jarred Cyborg and Beast Boy out of contemplating their own demise. Cyborg, who was busy checking something in his arm, glanced up at the sudden intrusion into his concentration. Beast Boy looked around the cavern for the source, confused.

It took a minute before they realized the sound was coming from the communicators in Cyborg's arm and Beast Boy's belt.

Perplexed, they sat there and let it beep for a few minutes.

Finally Cyborg raised an eyebrow at his green friend.

"You gonna answer that, or am I?"

Beast Boy sheepishly pulled out his communicator and flipped it open.

A voice spoke. A low raspy voice that, to them, as they sat there in the pitch-black darkness, sounded like a choir of angels breaking into joyful song.

"Robin? Can you hear me?" the voice said. "Robin? Cyborg? Beast Boy? Anyone?"

Beast Boy clutched his communicator in astonishment.

" _Raven?"_

-TT-

" _Excellent work Terra,"_ Slade's smooth, silky voice crooned in her ear. _"I couldn't have done it without you."_

Terra smiled wickedly as she left the chemical plant and the self-made cavern where she'd trapped Beast Boy and Cyborg behind her, the words stirring up an evil warmth in her heart.

" _But,"_ Slade reminded her, _"our conquest is not yet complete."_

Terra nodded, knowing exactly what the villain was referring to. "I know," she told him proudly. Terra thought that he couldn't help but notice the tone and inflection of her voice adding subtly, _I will remedy that very soon_.

There was a quiet _click!_ as Slade switched off the radios in her earpieces and Terra shivered. It thrilled her that the villain trusted her so much that he'd allow her to proceed without his help or interference. No one had ever trusted her so implicitly before. Except, perhaps, the Titans… But they were dead now, so it didn't matter. Most of them anyway.

"Four Titans down." she muttered to herself. "One to—"

Her private tally was interrupted by the revving of an engine she recognized all too well. Startled, she jerked her head up in time to see the R-Cycle flying over her head. The Boy Wonder himself flipped off his helmet and bailed out of his seat in one fluid movement, tackling her neatly to the ground with a furious yell. She grunted and tried to push him off, but Robin had the advantage of leverage and was using it to its full potential.

"Do— _not_ —move," he whispered dangerously in her ear.

"What's the matter Robin?" she asked cruelly, attempting to wrestle out of his hold on her. "Feeling lonely since I exterminated all your friends?" she taunted.

His grip tightened and she had to bite her lip to keep from reacting.

"They were your friends too!" he said.

The words hit their mark. She gritted her teeth in livid fury. The Titans weren't her friends. They'd never been. They were only using her, deceiving her, like she'd been deceiving them. The instant they found out who she really was, they rejected her, just like Slade had said they would. He had been right all along and she was a fool for not having seen it sooner, for daring to hope they would look past everything she was, everything she'd done, and still be her friends. Beast Boy had said it himself. She didn't have any friends. She didn't _need_ any friends.

She informed Robin as much.

He didn't seem deterred. "What did we ever do to make you hate us so much?" he asked her, as though her reaction to their deception had been blown way out of proportion.

_What do you think, Bird Boy?_

"You were born," she replied icily.

Her eyes flashed yellow and the ground beneath them cracked and buckled, throwing the two in opposite directions. Both teens landed in a crouch and turned to face one another, shooting each other angry glares that could have melted the flesh off their bones.

"I promised Beast Boy I'd give you one last chance—and this is it," Robin told her, staring her down unflinchingly. If he was upset by the deaths of the other Titans—and he had to be with that underlying tone in his voice, the way he was reacting to her taunts—he was trying hard not to show it. But Terra could still see it in his face, could sense it in his words and movements. He was devastated.

Good. She could use that to her advantage.

She was ready when Robin charged with a fresh yell and began throwing punches her way. Slade had taken the extra effort to teach her some combat skills. Terra dodged the first punch, easily deflected all the others, and began to throw a few of her own. Robin surprised her though, by side-stepping one of her blows and grabbing her waist, then flipping her effortlessly over his shoulder. She twisted in mid-air to get her legs beneath her and land in another crouch.

 _Smart move._ Slade had been right when he'd said Robin was clever. Not clever enough though, Terra had a few trick moves up her sleeve as well. She brought up a chunk of rock out of the ground and rode back towards him to deliver a high-speed flying kick that sent the Boy Wonder reeling.

Now she was the one raining punches, putting him on the defensive. But suddenly he caught one of her wrists and she could only widen her eyes in shock as he swung her around and flung her up against the chain link fence that surrounded the plant. She hit it face first and he pinned her there, twisting the wrist he held behind her. She squeezed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth to keep from crying out at the pain.

"Look at yourself Terra!" he shouted.

Her eyes popped open. Through the links of the fence she could see one of the windows of the plant. It was broken in the lower right-hand corner, but still it reflected an almost perfect image of herself and her opponent. Like a mirror.

She hated mirrors.

"Is this really what you want to be?" Robin was saying. He knew. He knew she hated looking in the mirror, hating seeing her soul reflected back to her so she could see all the poor decisions, all the mistakes, the lies, and deceptions showing clearly on her face. He knew and he was trying to use her weakness against her, make her reconsider the choice she'd made.

Fat chance. Though he might have stopped direct communication with her, Slade was still watching from afar and monitoring her progress. She couldn't afford to make another mistake. She couldn't afford to let a little thing like a mirror slow her down. She couldn't have any more doubts, any more moments of weakness. She'd already chosen which side she wanted to be on and no one was going to use one minute of uncertainty to make her change her mind and come crying back to the path of enlightenment.

Resentment towards the boy behind her built in her. She broke out of Robin's grasp and in one swift movement had reversed their positions.

"I'm just never going to be good enough for you, am I?" she spat venomously, pressing the boy's face into the fence and making a point of putting extra pressure on his painfully twisted arm.

He didn't respond, but surprised her yet again by flipping his legs up the fence, breaking her grip and somersaulting away.

 _No more games_ , she decided, raising up a tall column of earth beneath her. Time to finish this.

She rode the dark mound of earth towards him. He turned and fled as the mass of stone slid straight at him, showering boulders and bits and pieces of earth everywhere. A long leap got him clear of the onslaught and he hurled an exploding disk up at her. It exploded just beneath her feet. She fell to the ground and the column broke up into tiny pieces that crumbled towards her. She lifted her hands and brought the chunks of rock to a standstill. She shot Robin an angry glare as she rose to her feet, growling under her breath and rubbing the arm she'd landed on.

"You don't belong with Slade," he said, still trying to persuade her.

Oh, and who did she belong with then? All her 'friends' had deserted her; Beast Boy had openly lied to her… Where did she belong if not at the side of the man who'd taught her to control her dangerous and unstable powers?

"You don't know anything about me," she shot back.

She sent the rocks flying at him. He pulled out his bo staff and crushed several of them into gravel, then jumped along the tops of a few others and leapt into the air, swinging the staff as he fell.

He hit her. Hard. She flew back several feet and her teeth knocked against each other as she skidded and tumbled. Finally she came to rest and rolled over onto her back with a groan. Before she could get up though, she felt the end of Robin's staff pressing into her shoulder, pinning her back down. He stared at her with hard, cold eyes… but he didn't attack.

He was holding back on her. She could tell. After all those times he'd caught her off-guard that was the only reason she was still alive. Why? Why was he holding back?

"It doesn't have to be this way Terra!" he said, the look in his eyes almost begging her to reconsider. "I was Slade's apprentice once. I got out. So can you!"

She was infuriated. Did he honesty think she hadn't had a say in the matter? She wasn't like him. She'd _chosen_ to be Slade's apprentice. She wasn't forced or manipulated to serve him. She'd chosen to be with him and he'd welcomed her with open arms.

"I don't need you to save me," she told him sourly.

"You can only save yourself," he said softly. Was there a trace of sadness in his voice? Regret?

Whatever it was, it made her angry.

"I don't need saving!" she snarled at him, fists clenched tightly. If he was going to be stupid enough to hold back on her, she was going to take advantage of it.

A sharp piece of rock tore out of the ground between her feet and snapped Robin's staff in two. She kicked him roughly away and flipped up to her feet.

How dare he! How dare he pity her, as though she was some poor misguided little damsel in distress in need of saving from the villain and not the villain's eager and willing little helper!

How dare he and the others think there was anything left in her worth saving.

-TT-

Robin found his footing several yards away and looked up at Terra with wide eyes. She was glaring in livid fury and seemed about ready to pound him to pieces right there.

_Uh-oh._

"I'm not some sad little girl who's waiting to be rescued," Terra said angrily.

She began to approach.

The ground rumbled with her fury as she stalked towards him. Rocky masses emerged from the trembling earth. Fissures in the ground opened up and sprayed curtains of dust and wind into his face. Robin squeezed his eyes closed and put up a hand to block his face trying desperately to stay on his feet as the mighty gusts slammed into him.

What Terra said next was equally as harsh.

"I _wanted_ to be this way!" she insisted. "I wanted to go with Slade."

Robin wanted to tell her she was wrong, that Slade had taken advantage of her insecurity and fragile trust to plant doubt in her mind about him and the other Titans. She didn't know what she was getting into. Slade wouldn't leave her any room for mistakes. If she failed, she would suffer for it. If she wavered in her resolve, if she made even the slightest hesitation in carrying out an order, Slade would come down on her. Harshly. Even if she liked it now, sooner or later, she'd want out.

Slade would never permit that. She'd serve him whether she liked it or not. She'd be trapped within his iron grip. Robin opened his mouth to make one last try, one last appeal to convince her to bail out now, before it was too late. One last attempt… for Beast Boy's sake.

She stopped him cold with a single sentence.

"I wanted to annihilate you and your pathetic friends!"

It stung like knives of ice in his chest. The words faltered on his lips. As the wind died down Robin attempted to regain his balance. His limbs were numb. His insides felt torn up. He saw Terra striding towards him, saw her raise her hand…

A boulder crashed into the ground next to him.

_BOOM!_

The shock wave jarred him hard enough to rattle his teeth and knock him over. He fell to his hands and knees, badly shaken. Winded, he struggled to draw breath, but Terra wasn't finished and pounded another boulder into the ground right behind him.

_BOOM!_

The jolt was enough to flip his feet off the ground. His back slammed into the hard earth. Whatever little oxygen he'd managed to recover was forced right back out of his lungs. He labored for breath. His ears were ringing and his vision swam with little black dots. He saw Terra coming to stand over him, both hands raised.

"And now," she said venomously, a look of pure hatred in her eyes, "I never want to see your face again."

Robin looked up to see a third boulder dropping straight towards him.

_BAM!_

-TT-

Slade gazed at his apprentice in admiration as she slid a circular black disk with a large yellow R on it along the floor towards him.

Robin's insignia. Terra had taken the time to pry it off his tunic herself.

Under his mask, the villain was smiling. He had made a wise decision taking her under his wing. It had only been one evening and already the five biggest obstacles to his plan had been swiftly—and personally—removed from existence. Slade reached down and picked up the insignia, eye shining in evil pleasure.

He had expected Robin to put up more of a fight. But no, deep down he and the others still harbored some vague, faint hope that there was still a chance for Terra to change her mind. So the boy held back, stayed his anger and grief, refused to fight harder than he wanted or needed to, in the hope that there was something still inside her that could be redeemed. And now he was dead because of it.

 _Pity._ The boy had such potential. He could have become a good apprentice himself.

Slade turned his attention to Terra. The young geomancer stood off to the side, smiling with the thrill of his approval.

"You see, my dear apprentice," the villain said, crossing over to her and casting a proud gaze down upon her, "now that you belong to me, the city belongs to us."

And no one could stop him this time.

-TT-

In the caverns beneath Titans Tower, far below the ground and the waters of the Jump City Bay, five teenage superheroes crouched in the dim green light of Starfire's glowing, illuminated fist. All five were more or less in one piece, miraculously alive after Terra's attacks.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were uninjured. They'd suffered little damage from their fall into the cavern and had been rescued well before they ran out of breathable air. If Raven hadn't gotten to them in time, though... well, they didn't want to think about it. They sat in the shadows behind Starfire, quietly processing their narrow escape.

The Tamaranian princess was a bit shaken up, but otherwise okay after her plunge into the icy surf of the ocean. After her plummet from the cliff the tide had carried her limp, floating body downstream a while before gently depositing her on the cool pebbly gravel of the shore. She'd woken up with a headache, but no major injuries, due in no small part to the strong, resilient nature of her people. She was lucky. Any normal human being would have been crushed by that boulder. At the moment she stood off to the side, a look of concern on her face, holding up her glowing fist as a light for Raven, who was currently checking over Robin's injuries.

Raven was exhausted. Healing and teleportation required tremendous focus… and took a lot out of her… and she'd spent an ample amount of time doing both. Right now, she was looking over Robin one last time, checking for any more serious damage, and patching up what she could with what little strength she had left.

And Robin? Robin was battered and bruised and his clothes were a little torn up, but he looked pretty good… considering the fact that _he should be dead_.

Terra had been unmerciful. The boulder had crushed his ribcage, snapped his collarbone in two, broken both of his arms, and fractured his skull in three places. The pain was excruciating. He almost passed out from it.

He tried to turn his head towards her. "T-Ter-ra—" he choked. His lungs gargled and he started coughing up blood. He couldn't speak, couldn't even move as Terra lifted the chunk of rock off him, a terrible grin on her face. He could only gape up at her, smiling triumphantly, as he lay on the ground in agony.

She smirked at him. "Looks like you failed Bird Boy." She flung the boulder away. "You always fail."

_No…_

"You failed your city," she continued, reveling in the Boy Wonder's anguish. "You failed your team."

_Stop…_

She crouched down next to him and bent towards his mangled face.

"You failed Starfire." Terra leaned in with a sneer. "And now she's _dead_."

His face twisted. A raspy wheeze escaped his lips.

"Hope you don't mind if I take this," Terra said, reaching for the insignia on Robin's tunic. Robin couldn't stop her, could only watch her pry it off and leave him behind without any further thought. She knew he didn't stand a chance of surviving. She knew he was finished.

He would have been too, if Raven hadn't been transporting Cyborg and Beast Boy out of the chemical plant at that moment. The mechanical teen and the green shape-shifter were surprised when Raven's soul self, which had been in the middle of carrying them back to the Tower, suddenly dumped them out onto the hard ground outside the plant.

Beast Boy rubbed his head. "Dude, why'd you just—" he cut off with a gasp when he spotted the crumpled heap sprawled out on the rocks… and the R-Cycle lying toppled against the chain link fence.

There was a rush of activity. Raven was almost frantic, trying to identify what needed healing first, which injury was the most grievous. Cyborg and Beast Boy alternated between trying to help her, biting their nails anxiously, and attempting to raise Starfire on her communicator. Robin didn't remember much, he'd passed out soon after they'd found him. Raven ended up fainting as well, the energy needed to save Robin's life taking its toll. The empath regained consciousness soon after Cyborg and Beast Boy had gotten her and Robin safely back to the Tower.

A few hours later all three teens—and one very hysterical alien—had gathered around their leader in the catacombs under the Tower as Robin slowly came to. Through the fits of coughing and wheezing they managed to gather the details of Terra's final attack. The Titans absorbed the account soberly, saying nothing as Raven tended to Robin's wounds. The Boy Wonder fell silent after a while, lost in his own thoughts.

He should have destroyed her when he had the chance. He was so angry, so blinded by his grief; he saw Starfire's face over and over, grimacing in pain, saw her falling, plummeting through the air while he could do nothing to stop it… It would have been so easy to let the rage fuel his limbs, to let the pain he felt translate into an inhuman viciousness… But he held back. He gave Terra one last chance.

Because when it came down to it, he trusted in what Beast Boy had said about her—that deep down, she wasn't really evil.

He flinched as Raven's fingers brushed a particularly sensitive spot.

"Hold still," Raven told him. "I'm almost finished."

Starfire edged a little closer. "He is… okay?" she asked uncertainly.

"He will be," Raven said, standing up and withdrawing to the back of the cavern for some much needed meditation.

For a while the Titans sat in silence. It had dawned upon them that they'd all had a very close call. And next time they faced Slade and his new apprentice, they might not be so fortunate.

They gave each other grim looks and gradually came to the same conclusion.

"No more chances," said Cyborg.

"No more trust," Starfire murmured.

"And no more mercy," Raven put in coldly.

"She's just another criminal," Beast Boy said bitterly.

"And we're going to stop her," Robin finished, eyebrows furrowing in icy determination. "No matter what it takes."


	5. Worry

The blue-green readout of the digital clock on the Titans' mainframe flipped over. It was now 12:06. Starfire sighed and leaned back into the couch.

He was late. It was going to be another long night.

She sighed again, her soft exhale of breath the only sound in that still, dim room. Everyone else had already gone to bed, so now she was alone, waiting.

Waiting for Robin.

Starfire shifted a little to make herself more comfortable.

No one knew how it started, this silent, watchful vigil of hers. One too many nights of waking in the morning to find that he had not come home… and the agonizing searching, the frenzied hysteria, the inconsolable anxiety that followed… she'd just begun waiting up for him every night he went out on patrol, until he returned. Often one or two of the others would tell her to go to bed, reassuring her that everything would be okay. She just shook her head and kept waiting. Eventually they gave up and just let her be.

They must have thought it was very foolish of her to do this. It wasn't as though she didn't trust Robin to take care of himself. She trusted him implicitly, more than she trusted anyone else. But she knew that sometimes Robin would let his frustration cloud his judgment, keep him out later than he should be, maybe even lead him into danger. She just wanted to be _sure_ of his safety before she went to bed, to know for certain he was all right before she allowed herself the luxury of sleep. And if for some reason he did not return…

She shuddered to think about it.

If Robin went missing on patrol… she wanted to be the first to know.

Starfire shivered and drew her feet up to the couch, curling up into the cushions for warmth.

Robin did not like it when she did this. She could tell. He was uncomfortable with it. It embarrassed him. He would be fine, he assured her, she needn't worry.

Starfire worried. She worried all the time.

She worried whenever Robin went out on patrol, worried that it would be like all those times before, that when she said goodbye to him before he left, it would be the last time she ever saw him.

She worried whenever she saw him return from a fight, and some limp or grimace or expression in his face betrayed the fact that he was injured. He tried to hide it from her, but she could always tell. And then she would try to help and he would brush her off, too stubborn to admit that he needed help. In his effort to avoid making her worry, though, he made her worry even more.

She worried whenever he fell strangely silent during the Titans' conversations. It was as though a door in his heart had suddenly closed, shutting all the joy and life in him away. He got a glazed, distant look in his eyes and abruptly, quietly left the room. Starfire did not yet know why talk of clowns and circuses upset him, but knew that something having to do with them must pain him very deeply. She hated it when Robin hurt like that. Physical pain, as of an injury, she could take that away, make it better, even if he was afraid to let her see him hurt and vulnerable.

Emotional pain she could not heal.

She worried most when Slade was involved.

Slade. The name was like a poison sliding off the tongue, hard, cold, chilling. How could one word carry such loathing, such fear? The mysterious masked entity haunted the Titans like a shadow, lurking in the darkness like a primal creature poised to strike. It was Slade who caused Robin to destroy himself, to pour for hours on end over cryptic clues in the middle of the night. Night after night she'd watched him lose sleep trying to find some hint, some key, as to who Slade was and what he wanted. It was Slade who kept them up with nightmares whenever he appeared. It was Slade who drove Robin to the edge of insanity.

They'd thought he'd gone insane once. That had frightened her. To see Robin losing his grip on reality, fighting things that were not there… the way he shouted at her… Starfire never wanted that to happen again. He'd almost died that night. She could still remember how frail and thin he felt when he'd collapsed into her arms. When he'd awoken, she'd thrown her arms around his battered body and tearfully begged him never to frighten them like that again. They didn't want to lose him, she said. _She_ didn't want to lose him.

Slade had done that. His hallucinogenic dust had nearly killed her Robin. Slade had been behind nearly all of the bad things that had ever happened to the Titans. The first time Robin went missing. Terra's betrayal. The many attempts to destroy the city.

And the apprenticeship. Slade had been to blame for that one too. Starfire still had nightmares about it. Sometimes Robin would be laughing cruelly while her body and the bodies of their friends crumbled into dust and Slade looked on with evil glee. Sometimes he would be calling out to her, begging her to save him, and she would reach for his hand, only to have him vanish into the darkness. She had never been more worried or afraid in all her time on earth. Three days of frantic calling and searching, of fretting and pacing and driving everyone else to the end of their patience with her anxiety. For hours she would try desperately to raise him on the communicator, but to no avail. No response. Nothing. Just the empty, staticless silence and the echo of her own voice.

The uncertainty was the worst part. Not knowing where Robin was or how to find him. Not having a clue as to his condition, whether he was alive or… Despite the reassurances of the others, in those cold lonely nights her mind conjured dark images and ideas that no amount of persuasion could sway. And then when they found him, and learned he was alive and working with Slade… that was worse than if they'd found him dead. She could not believe, _would_ not believe, that Robin had betrayed them. Her mind and heart refused to accept it. Robin was their friend. Period. End of story.

_Click!_

Starfire jumped a little as a sudden noise broke the stillness, but relaxed as she realized it was only the air conditioner coming on. Her mind drifted back to the apprenticeship, back to _that time_ , when they'd almost doubted Robin.

Words could not express how her heart had leapt when Cyborg discovered the nanoscopic probes floating in their bloodstreams. Robin had not betrayed them after all! Once they had discovered the probes were sending and receiving tiny radio signals, it was a simple matter to track down where they were transmitting to. She could still remember how oppressive the air had felt when they'd found the main room. The gears rumbled in the background, the pipes hissed. It was humid from all the steam. There were the screens that showed the probes running through their veins, displaying their vitals as a constant reminder of what Slade held over Robin to make him serve him. There was the villain himself, looking exceedingly pleased and completely unaware of their presence. The instant she'd spotted Robin, standing hopeless and defeated, in front of that monster, the anger had burned in her veins and righteous fury lit up her eyes. She barely even heard what Slade was saying; she just wanted him as far away from Robin as she could throw him.

She let a starbolt fly.

It hit Slade dead on, catching him completely off guard, and sent him hurtling across the room.

"Leave… him… alone!" she'd growled forcefully. The others came and took up battle stances next to her, fully prepared to fight and die and give their all, if only it meant rescuing Robin from this darkness.

In the end, he had ended up rescuing _them_ as well.

Starfire smiled as she remembered the satisfaction she'd felt when the mask cracked and split and fell from Slade's face with a clang that sounded their victory as clear as any bell. The shadow turned and fled, knowing it was beaten. The lights blinked red and all around them gears tumbled to the ground. Everything was shaking, crumbling, toppling. She dove straight at Robin to move him out of the way of a falling gear. Everything was loudly and magnificently rumbling, tearing, breaking, shrieking, until finally all noise died down and faded away as they left the ruined hideout far behind them, their friend and teammate safely restored to them.

It was like dawn breaking after a midnight storm. The calm and utter peacefulness of the morning made the fear and terror of the night seem like only a distant memory. Yes, Slade had gotten away, but now he seemed like only a bad dream, dissolving away with the morning light. Robin was home safe and sound and that was all that mattered.

Starfire yawned and stretched herself out on the couch. It was late and she was tired. Despite her worry and her resolve to stay awake until Robin returned, she could not keep her eyes open much longer. The low hum of the air conditioner felt soothing and comforting to her ears. Her eyelids drooped. Her breathing came slowly and regularly.

She would just take a short rest, she decided. Yes… a short rest… Then she would awaken and continue to wait… for Robin…

-TT-

The front entryway of the Tower was dark and quiet when Robin returned, dripping wet from a small rain shower he'd gotten caught in while on patrol. Robin stood in the hallway wringing the water out of his cape. Tiny beads of liquid hit the carpeted floor with a dull thudding. A small puddle had formed beneath his feet by the time he finished and glanced up at the clock above him on the wall.

_12:25._

Ah crud. He was late. Robin reached up and shook his hair out before heading for the elevator. Starfire was probably still up waiting for him. She always waited up for him, even when he told her not to.

He stepped into the elevator and punched the button for the top floor. As the elevator began to rise, his mind drifted back to the conversation he'd had with her before he left.

-TT-

" _You will be careful while you are on patrol tonight, yes?"_ _she asked him anxiously as she stood in the doorway with him, waiting to send him off._

_He smiled at her reassuringly. "Of course Starfire." He rummaged through the articles in his utility belt, checking over them one last time while he tried to swallow the lump in his throat and say what had been nagging at the back of his mind for quite a while. "Um… Star?" he finally started._

" _Yes Robin?"_

_He couldn't look her in the face. Those eyes, those anxious, eager green eyes full of concern… they were too much for him. He leveled his gaze somewhere around his feet, mouth fumbling in the attempt to speak his next sentence._

" _You don't have to wait up for me tonight," he mumbled at last._

" _You… do not want me to wait up for you?"_

_He flinched instinctively at the wounded tone in her voice. Starfire turned away from him, a saddened look in her eyes._

" _I am sorry. I did not realize I was being impolite."_

" _It's not that," he jumped to assure her. "It's just… it feels a little… you know…" he trailed off, shifting uneasily on his feet. Star was looking at him solemnly, waiting for him to continue._

_He looked back down at his toes, heat creeping across his face._

" _Awkward," he finished uncomfortably._

_Starfire blushed and dropped her gaze to her own feet. "I apologize for causing you the discomfort, Robin. If the waiting up makes you uncomfortable I will stop."_

_She started to walk away._

" _You don't have to do that," he told her, catching ahold of her elbow before she could get very far. "Just…" He folded her hands inside his palms. For a while he avoided eye contact, attention resting instead on the orange-skinned fingers he held clasped in his gloved hands. Finally he raised his eyes up to meet hers._

" _Promise me you'll get some sleep tonight," he implored. "Okay?"_

_Starfire took in his request quietly, and then nodded. "Very well, Robin. I promise."_

_With that, he bade her farewell and headed out the door, with a nagging sense that no matter what he did, no matter how many times he told her, she'd still be up waiting for him when he came back._

-TT-

Robin shook his head wonderingly. As awkward as it made him feel to have her worry so obsessively about him though, he couldn't resent her for it. Actually, he kind of liked having someone waiting for him when he got home. Made him feel a little safer, a little more secure, knowing someone was looking out for his safety.

He was just a little embarrassed that it was Starfire doing so.

The elevator door slid open. Robin headed down the hallway, his boots leaving wet footprints in the carpet behind him. He would find her in the main room, as always, and the instant he walked through the door she would greet him with an enthusiastic hug. Sometimes a little too enthusiastic. Robin paused outside the door, hand wavering above the button. He still had a couple bruises from the last time she'd hugged him.

He sighed.

_Might as well get it over with._

He punched the control and reluctantly shuffled through the doorway. About two steps in, he froze.

Starfire was nowhere to be seen.

For a second he almost panicked but then there came a soft murmur from somewhere near the sofa. Robin stepped towards the Titans' living area and quietly peeked over the top of the couch.

There she was, curled up on the cushions, sound asleep.

Robin couldn't suppress a little grin.

_Well, she kept her promise._

He leaned over to gently shake her awake. "Star? Star?" he called.

She stirred a little.

"Robin?" she called sleepily, eyelids half-opening before they clamped shut firmly, the alien princess too tired to awaken.

 _Now what?_ Robin wondered. _Should I carry her to her room? Try to wake her again?_

He straightened and watched the lovely Tamaranian sleep for a minute.

 _No_ , he decided, observing the steady rise and fall of her chest with a strange tingling feeling in his own. _I'll let her sleep. I owe her that much for keeping her up so late._

Very carefully Robin removed the cape from around his shoulders, bent down, and laid it across her figure. She moaned softly in her sleep and rolled over, clutching the cape around her like a blanket. Robin smiled and leaned down to plant a small, tender kiss on her forehead. As he pulled away, he could swear that the corners of her lips turned upward into a smile.

Chuckling softly, Robin rubbed the back of his head and made his way to his room.

As embarrassed as he was to say it, he really did like it when she waited up for him on patrol nights. It reminded him how much she cared about him… and how much he cared about her.

She was his dawn, breaking to chase away his nightmares. She was his light, shining ever brighter in the darkness. No matter where he went, no matter how far he strayed from home, Starfire would always be there waiting for him when he got back.

Even if she _did_ worry too much.


	6. Sailor Argent

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Argent groaned and rolled over on her bed. _Blasted alarm clock…_

She slid an arm out from underneath the covers and conjured an oversized fist with her powers, which promptly silenced the offending noisemaker. Silence reigned for a few blissful seconds before a loud crashing sound came from OPS, indicating the boys had had some kind of disaster in the kitchen. Again. Argent sighed and grudgingly poked her head out from under her sheets.

_One of these days I've got to teach those lads how to cook…_

Reluctantly she opened her bleary eyes and blinked several times to bring her room into focus. The nightstand table with her alarm clock stood to the right of her bed. Next to the clock was the barrette she wore to keep her bangs out of her face. She reached for the hair accessory.

Her hand faltered midway. She stared at her arm blankly.

_Since when do I wear white gloves?_

Perplexed, she blinked and looked down at the rest of her attire.

_What the bloody_ _—?!_

Argent threw off the covers. Red skirt, white tee, purple bow, red high heel shoes—yep, this was definitely another one of the boys' pranks.

Though how they had gotten their hands on a Sailor Mars costume she'd never know.

Nor how they'd gotten the wretched thing on her. She wasn't _that_ heavy a sleeper. Was she? Her mum used to complain about how hard it was to wake her up in the morning. Had Herald used his horn or something? Teleported her regular outfit off her and this… ensemble on? Oh gosh, what if they'd—

She checked down the neck of her shirt, a brief jolt of panic shooting though her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her unmentionables were still firmly in place.

Still, it had been a tremendous breach of privacy on the boys' part. Argent could feel the blood starting to boil in her veins. Oh, heads were going to roll for this one.

She got up off the bed and stalked over to her closet, shoving the door open with a little more force than was probably necessary.

The closet was empty. No sign of any of her spare outfits or her street clothes. Not even a pair of shoes. _Naturally._

Argent seethed and reached for the door again. She paused, catching sight of herself in the mirror.

_Hmm…_

A moment of hesitation passed as Argent contemplated her reflection. She turned one way, then the other, checking the length, the fit, and how the colors blended with her skin and hair.

_Doesn't look half bad_ , she realized. _It's actually kind of flattering._

Okay, maybe she wouldn't throw it out the first chance she got. Might make a nice Halloween costume or—

There was a muted sniggering sound from the direction of the kitchen.

Definitely throwing it out right away.

Right. After she bashed the boys' heads in.

Argent scowled and made her way out of her room and down the hallway to OPS, the heels making a distinctive clacking on the floor. When she reached the door, she punched the button irritably and watched it slide open to reveal the smirking countenances of her teammates.

"Very funny boys," she said, annoyed. "Now where are my clothes?"


	7. The Antics of a Shape-Shifter

"Aw, come on Raven. Just one game?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"NO!"

"But _Rae_ -ven…"

Raven sighed and turned a page in her book. "Beast Boy, don't you have anything better to do?"

"Well, yeah, but I wanna try out Super Ninjas 3," Beast Boy confessed, folding his legs under him.

Raven glanced up from her book at the dejected shape-shifter. The boys had gone out shopping that morning and brought back several new video games, Super Ninjas 3 included, and Beast Boy had been itching to play them all day. He hadn't had an opportunity, though, until now.

Unfortunately, Super Ninjas 3 was a two-player game. And seeing as everyone else was currently out of the Tower at that moment, that left Raven alone with a very bored, very fidgety young video game addict.

Beast Boy looked up at her with a pleading expression on his face. "Just one round. Play just one round with me and I swear I won't bother you for the rest of the day. Please Raven?"

"No," Raven said flatly, dropping her eyes back to the page.

"Do I have to do the face?" Beast Boy asked, wily grin spreading across his cheeks. "You know you can't resist the face…"

"Beast Boy…" Raven said tiredly.

Beast Boy morphed into an adorable little kitten and leapt up onto the seat with her, planting his little backside firmly in her lap.

Raven glared down at him in irritation. The little green kitten nuzzled against her stomach, purring contentedly, then looked up at her with big pleading eyes.

"Meow?"

Raven gave a frustrated sigh and closed her book. "Fine. I'll play one round with you. Happy now?"

"Woohoo!" Beast Boy yelled ecstatically, leaping up and reverting back to human form. He eagerly rushed to get out the consoles and began setting up the game. Raven reluctantly got out of her seat and went to join him on the couch.

How did he do it? How did he always manage to persuade her, however grudgingly into doing these things?

Raven suspected it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't quite mastered how to resist "the face" yet.

She'd have to speak to Starfire on how to do that.

-TT-

A few minutes later, after Raven had played a few rounds and lost miserably to the changeling every time, she set the game control aside.

"Well, that was fun," she said. She began to stand up.

"Wait!" Beast Boy protested. "Just one more round. Please Raven?"

"You said that four rounds ago," Raven commented dryly, turning to face the shape-shifter with her arms crossed.

"So?" Beast Boy asked, crossing his own arms and giving her an offended look. "What's one more match going to hurt?"

"I've played your stupid video game. Now let me get back to my book," Raven told him, not relaxing her annoyed glare.

The changeling slumped over in his seat.

"You're only saying that because I'm winning," he muttered.

Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Give me that control," she ordered, sticking out her hand for it.

-TT-

Seven matches later Raven stood up again and began to lay the controller aside.

"You can't quit now!" Beast Boy cried.

Raven shot him a vexed look. "Why not?"

"You're winning!"

"All the more reason to quit while I'm ahead," Raven's annoyed monotone drolled. She reached for her novel.

"But Raven!" Beast Boy objected, scooting over on the couch and trying to block her from reaching the thick tome. "Think about it! How often do you get the opportunity to completely slaughter me at something?"

Raven hesitated, hand faltering mid-reach.

He had a point. She would take some kind of mean-spirited glee out of completely destroying Beast Boy, if only in the digital world.

Sighing, she sat back down on the couch and picked up the console again.

_I'm going to regret this…_

-TT-

"Three hundred and thirty-five straight wins!" exclaimed Cyborg incredulously, staring at the screen in stunned shock. "How did that happen?"

Beast Boy shrugged and tossed his game control over his shoulder. "Beats me. I never figured Raven would be that good at video games."

"I mean, how did you manage to get Raven to play three hundred and thirty five straight rounds of Super Ninjas 3 with you?" Cyborg said, looking over at the empath.

Raven slunk down in her seat, hiding her face behind her book.

"No comment."


	8. Quiet Lull

Their favorite bookshop was quiet that Sunday. The lazy afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows. The smell of coffee drifted from the Starbucks in the corner. An old store clerk and a couple of other customers were the only ones present besides them. The empath and the Tamaranian sat together on the floor beneath the shelf, absorbed in their own individual reading.

As usual this was the last stop of the day on one of their excursions to the "mall of shopping" as Starfire liked to call it. They'd spent a few hours browsing their other habitual stops and also checking out some new ones before entering the bookstore, where, as usual, they split up and headed to opposite areas of the store. Starfire traditionally went straight for the comic books section, or perhaps the children's area to look at picture books. The high-spirited alien found these simple forms of literature very easy to understand—and often quite funny. Raven of course opted for slightly darker, more serious fare, in the mystery, suspense, and horror sections. After both had found something that interested them, they met back up in the self-help section, sat and read for a little while, and then, if their chosen fare had interested them enough, they checked out. Occasionally one or the other one of them wouldn't particularly like something enough to buy it, but she would always wait until the other was finished before getting up to put it back. It was an unspoken tradition between the two of them-though sometimes it led to a little impatience on Raven's part when she was finished long before her alien companion.

Today wasn't such a day, however.

Starfire giggled softly at something. She leaned over to her friend and whispered something in her ear.

"Not now Starfire. Tell me later," Raven replied, attention thoroughly absorbed by the novel she was holding.

A little disappointed, the Tamaranian princess turned back to the anthology of Sunday cartoons that had caught her eye when she'd walked in. After reading a little more she came across a strip that set her insides bubbling. She covered her mouth to quiet her laughter and then nudged Raven emphatically.

"Oh Raven, you simply must read this one!" she said, holding her book for Raven to see and pointing out the strip in question, wide smile gracing her face.

Raven sighed inwardly but looked up from her book to read the strip.

"Does it not remind you of Beast Boy?" Starfire asked excitedly, her emerald eyes bright with mirth.

Raven chuckled. "That's pretty funny," she admitted with a rare smile.

Elated to have elicited such a reaction from her normally stoic friend, Starfire dissolved into a fresh burst of giggles. Raven joined in with a few of her quiet chortles.

The two girls turned back to their individual books. For a while they sat and read, not interrupting each other.

"Excuse me young ladies," a voice suddenly interjected. Starfire and Raven looked up to see the old store clerk standing in front of them.

"Yes?" Starfire responded.

"Will you be buying anything today?" the clerk asked.

Starfire held up the book of cartoons. "I believe I will be purchasing this collection of the 'Sunday comics'." Her head tilted a little in puzzlement. "I am sorry… are we in the way of someone wishing to purchase one of the 'self-help' books?"

"Oh, not at all!" he assured her quickly. "I just have a very large group of children coming for the book-signing today and I wanted to know if you'd like to check out before then."

Starfire pursed her lips and glanced over at her gray-skinned friend.

Raven would certainly be uncomfortable around so many children. Starfire herself loved children, for she found she could relate to them very well—better than some adults in fact. But she did not wish to cause her friend the awkwardness and discomfort she would surely feel if they stayed.

_Perhaps it is better to leave_ , she thought.

Raven, meanwhile, was frowning. She disliked large crowds of any kind, rowdy, sugar-hyped children in particular. Besides the aggravation little kids caused to her precious emotional stability, she just felt uneasy around them, especially since her cool mysterious demeanor caused so many of them to shy away. Starfire would feel right at home with them of course. Raven glanced at her. The alien princess would probably want to stay for the book signing. She'd probably even join in a few games with the kids, laughing and giggling and commenting on how sweet they were—with her usual joyful glee of course.

Raven sighed. Though she would much rather go back at the Tower where it was quiet, she couldn't refuse the cheerful girl a little bit of playtime with five-year-olds. She opened her mouth to answer the clerk.

Starfire, however, beat her to the punch.

"Yes sir, I do believe we will be checking out now."

The Tamaranian proceeded to back up that statement by gathering up her things and rising up to her knees. Raven's eyes widened a little in mild surprise and she blinked.

"Are you sure?" she asked, easing her book partway closed uncertainly. "We can stay if you want. I don't mind." Raven continued, looking at the orange-skinned alien in contemplative wonder.

Starfire met her friend's gaze and smiled. "No," she replied, shaking her head. "I think it is better to return to the Tower this time."

Smiling inwardly with satisfaction and relief, Raven closed her book the rest of the way and got up off the floor.

-TT-

It was only a few minutes before the two girls were making their way to the mall's exit, the newly bought books swinging in their hands. The two Titans walked quietly. Starfire, normally very chatty at this point, had fallen strangely silent, so the only noise was the muted mall chatter in the background.

Raven sensed that something was nagging at the back of the alien girl's mind, and so was not surprised when Starfire piped up uncertainly, "Raven?"

The empath turned towards her friend. "Yes?"

Starfire fidgeted. "I…" she began tentatively. "Very much enjoyed out time together today."

"Me too," Raven admitted. When Starfire's wide eyes flicked up to her she gave the girl a reassuring nod.

"Might we… continue our 'read-in' when we get back to the Tower?" Starfire asked.

Raven allowed herself another small smile.

"Sure Star."

Grinning broadly, the Tamaranian lifted off the ground and floated alongside her gray-skinned companion the rest of the way to the exit.


	9. Mental Notes

"Robin?"

Robin looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Yeah Star?"

Starfire wrinkled her forehead in perplexed puzzlement as she stared at the unfamiliar term she'd just read in her magazine. "What is making out?"

Robin's ears turned red. He really hated it when Starfire asked questions like that. What had triggered it this time?

He snuck a peek across the table at the cover of the magazine Starfire was reading. _SuperGirl. Chick mag. Heh. Figures._

Robin made a mental note not let Starfire read any more girly magazines.

Oh. He should probably answer her question now.

"Uh…"

"Is it similar to the making up that involves the usage of lipstick and shimmery gloss? It is in the same article," Starfire interrupted before Robin could stumble out an explanation.

"Not…exactly…" Robin said, blushing and wishing there was a convenient hole in the ground he could fall into.

"Oh! Perhaps it is more like a smooch or a snog?" Starfire asked enthusiastically, reading further down in the article.

The heat was creeping across Robin's cheeks by now. "Yeah…" he answered awkwardly.

"Oh thank you very much Robin!"

Robin made a mental note to ban chick magazines from the Tower entirely.

At that moment the microwave exploded.

Starfire yelped and shot across the table, straight to Robin, who blushed even more deeply than before.

The door slid open with a hiss. A frantic Beast Boy rushed in and bolted over to the microwave. Alas, it was as the shape-shifter feared.

His popcorn was completely fried to a crisp.

From over by the table where he sat with Starfire's arms wrapped around his neck and his face blending in with her hair, Robin made a mental note to forbid Beast Boy from using the microwave. This made for the sixth time the changeling had caused the device to explode and Cyborg was getting tired of repairing it.

The fact that it had also caused Starfire to leap into his arms out of sheer terror didn't much help.

Beast Boy was now frantically fanning the charred remains of his popcorn, in the hopes that diffusing enough of the smoke would prevent the Tower's smoke alarm from going off. Behind him, Cyborg was walking through the doorway.

"Please tell me that wasn't the microwave exploding _again,_ " the cybernetic teen said irritably.

Beast Boy laughed nervously. "Heh!" He backed away from the smoking device, putting his hands behind him with a sheepish grin. "Uh… who would've figured popcorn was combustible?"

"It _pops_ Beast Boy," came Cyborg's aggravated reply. "Of course it's combustible." Cyborg took in the damage done to the kitchen coolly. When his gaze settled on Robin and Starfire, a smug grin spread across his face. "You two having fun over there?" he asked.

 _Please no_ … Robin begged mentally.

This was bad enough without them rubbing it in.

Starfire peeked out from behind Robin's shoulder. "Oh! Forgive me," she said, releasing Robin's head immediately and leaning back to look the Boy Wonder in his beet red face. "The noise… it startled me very greatly," she apologized, half to Robin and half to the other two.

"Aww, don't be sorry," Cyborg told her, smiling strangely at the way Starfire was kneeling on Robin's legs. The Boy Wonder was practically squirming in his seat, but trying not to, lest he inadvertently dislodge the alien princess.

Not that that wouldn't be a welcome relief right about now…

By now Beast Boy had come up next to his half-robotic friend and mimicked his smug gesture, standing with his arms crossed and grinning wily.

"Yeah," agreed the shape-shifter.

"I think Robin likes it," Cyborg added, smirking.

Starfire blinked in confusion.

Robin fumed and made a mental note to have Cyborg and Beast Boy running laps around the obstacle course the next morning. At four-o-clock sharp if he could manage.

The sour look he was sending in their direction didn't seem to dissuade them from their teasing, however.

"Admit it," Beast Boy was saying with a grin. "You are _totally_ digging having ninety pounds of hot alien girl sitting in your lap."

"Shut up," he muttered, shooting a glare at both of them.

"I am very much confused… I do not feel any warmer than usual," Starfire wondered aloud. "Am I hot Robin?" she asked, scooting closer to him so he could feel her body heat.

Robin blushed all the way up to his hairline. He felt _so_ uncomfortable. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Star…" he managed to squeak. "Please… get off…"

As though suddenly realizing the embarrassment she was causing him, Starfire got off and stood up immediately, blushing very brightly herself. Cyborg and Beast Boy hooted with laughter.

"Knock it off you two," came Raven's signature monotone from… somewhere… Robin was too embarrassed to turn around and look… but he _did_ make a mental note to thank her later.

"Spoilsport," grumbled Cyborg.

Robin sighed in relief as the mechanical teen shuffled off to start making repairs to the microwave. Again.

Beast Boy had decided that, though thoroughly black and burnt to a crisp, the popcorn was still edible and was now munching quietly on the hard kernels. He offered some to Raven, who wrinkled her nose and glared. Starfire had returned to her side of the table and picked up her dropped magazine. Now she sat in her chair, reading and pretending absolutely nothing had happened, though Robin could see a tinge of red in her cheeks over the top of the pages.

Robin shook his head and made a mental note to go over appropriate behavior between the sexes with her some day.

He was amassing quite a few mental notes, he noticed.

Maybe he should write them down somewhere…


	10. Every Dark Corner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter marks the beginning of the stuff I'm actually kind of proud of.
> 
> And it's Robin whump. Because of course it is. Get used it readers, it sort of becomes a habit.

His breath came in ragged gasps in and out of his tired lungs. His heart pounded in his chest and in his head. He reeled back for a charge with a fresh yell and lunged.

Without even batting an eyelash Slade flipped him over his arm and threw him down the staircase.

Robin landed shakily on his feet a little ways down the staircase, the jolt shooting through his trembling calves and rattling the insides of his head. He looked up with bleary eyes at the masked menace hurtling towards him.

He didn't even have time to will his frozen limbs to move. Slade pegged him with a harsh metal-plated fist to the gut.

Robin doubled over with a pained grunt, clutching his stomach in agony. But the sharp new pain lasted only a moment before it blended in with all old ones—the dull throbbing in his head, the pangs in his chest from his frantic heart, the aches in his arms and legs, and the burning in his exhausted, failing lungs.

He jerked himself upright.

_Have to keep fighting…_ he thought dimly.

He gave an infuriated yell and threw his fists at the sneering masked face.

He hit nothing.

There was a sudden stinging pain. Slade had seized his wrist in his iron-hard grasp. Robin cringed. He felt himself stumbling backwards, pulled by a harsh yank that strained the muscles in his shoulder and suddenly his elbow was bending and he was turned around entirely and the villain was viciously twisting his arm behind his back, pressing and pulling and applying leverage in just the right spot. Robin gritted his teeth but the bones were grinding against each other and sending stinging pangs all along his arm. There was an explosion of sharp pain.

"Aaah!" The cry tore itself from his throat. His arm was screaming, begging for relief.

Slade flung him to the side, releasing his arm. Robin hit the railing with a resounding _thwack!_ before tumbling headlong over it. A dizzy, rushing sensation filled his ears and his stomach flipped inside him as he fell. Instinctively he reached out for something—anything—to slow his descent and somehow his hand found one of the steel girders that held up the staircase. His momentum flipped him upright and he landed solidly on his feet on a lower portion of the stairwell.

He straightened and tensed, looking about frantically through the darkness of the basement for his opponent. A sudden movement from behind pierced through the heavy fog in his mind to capture his attention. He whirled around swiftly just in time to catch Slade leaping from a girder towards him. As the villain landed Robin struck a fighting stance.

Slade was too quick. As Robin made a motion to lift his fist a hard blow to the diaphragm winded him and doubled him over. Robin's body barely registered the punch before a second one slammed into his back, sending him tumbling down the stairs. It seemed almost an eternity before he finally fetched up against the railing and every little bang, jolt, and scrape his aching limbs felt seemed to merge and blend with all the others. Robin gripped the cold steel railing with both hands, trying desperately to regain his breath and recover from this newest, latest shock to his badly bruised body. But Slade gave him no respite and planted his knee in Robin's side just as the boy was looking up.

_Smack!_

His back slammed into a different section of the railing. Wearily he lifted his head to see the villain charging at him once again. Eyes fixed on Slade, he searched the air behind him. One hand grasped the railing tightly, he jumped up onto it and leapt clear just in time to avoid the next strike. His feet found a girder in the space behind him; he pushed off of it for a counterattack. Before he could make any good of it a steel-booted foot slashed through the air, coming down hard on his chest. Robin let out a short, agonized yell as the foot smashed him painfully against the landing, slamming his back and head into its metal surface. His vision clouded dangerously. Half-conscious, he felt himself being hauled up by his cape and thrown down the rest of the staircase to the basement floor. His body rolled until his back hit a stack of boxes with a dull _thud!_

Robin's lungs drew in air with great effort. He couldn't think, couldn't will himself to get up. His breathing was shallow, heart rate erratic, every part of his body racked with excruciating pain. Fatigue and exhaustion were setting in. Worst of all, he had run out of adrenaline—the fuel his weakened body had been so desperately running on. With no adrenaline to keep his heart pumping blood into his tiring limbs, his whole body was starting to fail.

Meaning he could no longer fight back.

Through bleary eyes Robin watched Slade's final approach, dimly noticing how the villain disappeared every time the overhead light flickered on. His bewildered eyes observed the strange phenomenon uncomprehendingly. Robin rolled his eyes down to the floor. If there was some portent of pressing significance in that, his exhausted mind couldn't make sense of it.

Nothing made sense anymore.

_So tired… can't go on…_ He wished this was all just a nightmare… he was so tired… He wanted nothing more than to lay there huddled on the cold stone floor of the basement and go to sleep.

_Sleep… yes… I need to… sleep…_

Oblivion was pressing down on him and he wanted so much to yield to it… and the relief it offered him from this horrible dream that was reality.

_No_ , he thought, shaking off the darkness with a groan. _Slade… hafta keep moving… hafta keep…_

His body tensed—weakened muscled labored and strained—and with some effort, he managed to lift his arm. Robin reached out feebly and was able to haul himself forward a few inches. But no more. The last of his strength gone, he slumped back down to the floor.

"You always knew it was going to end this way."

Robin shuddered at the sound of Slade's cruel and sinister voice droning in his ear, pronouncing the young Titan's doom with a cold finality.

_Get up!_ his mind shouted. _Move!_

He couldn't. Slade was right. This was how it was going to end.

Robin felt a hand on the back of his head, felt Slade grabbing a handful of his hair and dragging him up. "No…" he protested weakly.

It couldn't end this way. Not like this. Beaten, humiliated, lying broken on the floor, failure rubbed mercilessly into his face. Abandoned by his friends.

The hopelessness twisted a knot in his stomach and he choked back a sob. His view of the basement floor blurred and he blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay.

" _Yes_ , Robin…" hissed Slade. With that tone of voice, Robin knew, the gleam of victory was shining in the villain's eye. The voice that haunted his nightmares continued, every syllable drilling defeat into his soul. "In a few short hours, the seismic generators will detonate…" the madman gloated, "and you city will be reduced to a broken wasteland."

Cold fingers of fear gripped Robin's heart and shivers of goosebumps ran up and down his arms as he felt the villain draw even closer and whisper quietly in his ear, _"Pity you won't be around to see it."_

With that, Slade twisted Robin's hair in his iron grip.

"Augh!" Robin screamed in agony.

A sharp elbow to his back and a harsh wrench on the hair clutched tightly in Slade's fist elicited a few more cries from the wearied Titan. Slade flung him off to the side, onto his face. His cheek met the stone floor with a hard _smack!_ that sent a jolt of pain through his skull.

Robin grimaced. The swollen lump above his right eye throbbed, head stung, heart thudded dully in his chest. He brought his arms underneath him, struggled to his hands and knees with every once of his remaining strength.

_Stop... please stop…_

He couldn't take any more. It was too much. Slade had won. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't it enough that his worst fears had come true? That he had failed—his city, his team, his mentor—and now lay cowering beneath the shadow of a villain whose evil and malice invaded his every nightmare? For Slade to see him like this—beaten, defeated, crawling on his hands and knees and at the criminal's complete mercy?

_Not that he had any._

Robin reached pitifully for the bottom step of the staircase.

"Slade…" he begged, voice no more than a weak whisper. "…stop…"

A rough kick to his ribs sent him tumbling away. When he finally came to rest, he just lay there, too exhausted to continue.

"No, Robin," Slade said gravely as he slowly approached. "I won't stop. Not now, not ever."

Robin shivered. His lungs struggled to take in air; chest and sides shuddered with every breath. His frantic heart rate was slowing.

The villain kneeled over him, lowering his face to Robin's level. Robin trembled in fear and dread.

"I am the thing that keeps you up at night."

Slade grabbed a handful of Robin's tunic and hauled him up. Robin's feet barely brushed the floor as he dangled limply in the villain's grasp.

"The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind," Slade's horrible voice continued. "I will never rest… and neither will you." The evil mastermind's eye narrowed at the pronouncement.

So the villain wasn't going to kill him. That at least was good news… though Robin didn't much like the idea of never being rid of the madman.

He should've died. Why, oh why hadn't Slade perished in the flames at their last encounter? Or had he?

Doubt gnawed at him as he remembered the others' words. Could this really be an illusion? Could he really be imagining the whole thing? It felt so real… but how could it be? The others said he wasn't there. How could something that wasn't there cause so much damage to him? Maybe they were right. Maybe he'd finally gone insane.

He didn't know what to believe anymore.

"My friends say… you're not real," Robin croaked, his voice a raspy wheeze.

"Oh, I'm very real," Slade sneered.

He shoved Robin away. Robin grunted as his back slammed into a girder. Blearily, he lifted his head once last time to face his adversary. Above them, the light continued to flicker plunging the room from light into darkness again and again.

"Could you have gotten all those bruises from someone who wasn't there?" Slade was asking, but Robin didn't hear. His brain had finally registered the villain's mysterious disappearance at every sputter of the light. He squinted. Had he really just seen that?

"You can't even touch me," Slade gloated, echoing his words from the haunt earlier that night.

"All these… bruises…" Robin repeated, touching a hand to his side, dazed, disoriented, and confused. Something was finally clicking inside his bewildered brain. He looked up at Slade in stunned incredulity.

"But you don't have a scratch!" he cried. A stream of images came to him, memories of the past few hours and Slade's imperviousness to everything Robin threw at him—

_Starfire standing there in the rain while Slade ran right by her. The lightning flashed and Slade disappeared. The forest where first showed up. Lightning flashed again and there he was, large as life, the glint of evil in his_ —

_His eye was blue._

Robin's intake of breath caught in his throat. Eyes staring straight ahead at the masked entity, he got his legs underneath him and pushed himself to a weak standing position, slinging his arm over a cross-beam and propping his back against the girder for support. His other hand he clutched to his side as the thoughts came rushing to him in an ever-faster stream.

" _There was no one there!"_

_The others couldn't see him._

" _There are no generators!"_

_The rain passed right through him._

" _There is no Slade!"_

_He vanished when the lightning flashed._

" _I am the thing that keeps you up at night."_

_He only appeared in darkness._

" _The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind."_

"Every dark corner…" Robin repeated as he slowly came to realize, "…you're only in my mind!"

His mouth twisted into a frown.

"And only in the dark," he added grimly.

His free hand tightened into a fist.

"My friends are right," he declared, straightening up to face his adversary. "You aren't real!" Defiance and fierce determination projected from his voice as he stared the villain down. Slade's eye flashed with anger.

"I'm real enough to finish you!" the villain growled menacingly, charging towards him with a threatening hand stretched out.

Robin's own hand grasped the handle of the circuit breaker on the girder behind him. "Lights out, Slade," he muttered bleakly, throwing the switch and flooding the area with light.

The image of the lunging destroyer evaporated without a trace.

Robin breathed a sigh of relief and slumped weakly against the beam. Heart rate coming back down to normal, he closed his eyes and concentrated on relaxing the rest of his weary body.

From overhead there came a slight fluttering sound. Robin opened his eyes to see Starfire hovering in the air above him.

_Oh Star_ , he thought, the sight of her a welcome relief to his blackened eyes. _I acted like a jerk today. I'm so sorry I yelled at you. You didn't deserve it_ _—any of it. Please forgive me._

Starfire searched frantically with her eyes until she spotted him. "Robin!" she cried, dropping to him in a panic.

"It's okay, Starfire," he reassured her with a tired smile. Her descent slowed and she set down lightly next to him, worry written all over her face.

He felt light-headed. Robin's knees buckled and he swooned.

"It's okay…" he breathed in a quiet murmur.

Then he collapsed into her arms.

-TT-

Robin awoke in the Tower's infirmary. His eyelids lifted and his vision slowly cleared to reveal the worried countenances of his friends as they surrounded his bedside.

He grinned weakly. "Hey guys…"

Starfire let out a cry and threw her arms around him, squeezing as though her life depended on it.

"Do not do that _ever again!_ " she told him, voice betraying her hysteria and agitation.

Robin eyes widened and he flinched instinctively as her firm grip caused stabbing pains to rifle through his body, reminding him of the injuries he'd incurred. "S-Star…" he gasped, "...hurts…"

"Oh!" Starfire released him, quickly dropping her hands to her sides. "I am sorry!" she apologized.

"You gave us quite a scare there, man," Cyborg said, crossing over to him. "For half a second we were almost afraid you'd, well..." Cyborg trailed off uncomfortably. "…you know…"

"Yeah…" Robin acknowledged quietly. "I know. I'm… sorry," he mumbled. He straightened and looked them in the eye. "For everything."

"That's all right," Cyborg told him with a smile. "C'mon. Let's get you checked out."

Robin sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed as Cyborg hooked him up to the monitors. Starfire and Raven stood off to the sides as the cybernetic teen gathered data for his tests. Beast Boy hung back near the door uncertainly.

"You dure you wonngo dotally waggo od us adain?" he asked, his congested, runny nose slurring and muddling up his words.

Robin nodded. "I'm okay Beast Boy. Really."

"According to which definition?" Raven questioned sarcastically, eying the Titan's injuries.

The Boy Wonder looked down at his torn-up clothes and the scratches on his arms and legs. "Heh. Guess I got pretty beat up back there," he said sheepishly.

"In a manner of speaking…" Raven droned dryly, moving in to start working as Cyborg shuffled off to read his scans, the look on her face perfectly conveying her thoughts— _How could you manage to cause so much damage to yourself you idiot?!_

Who would've guessed the mere thought of Slade could cause him to do so much damage? Robin stared vacantly off into space as his mind went over that night's horrifying events.

It was unsettling to think that Slade didn't have to be anywhere near him to hurt him. That all he needed was the hint—the mere suggestion of Slade—and his own brain would do the job himself. Now more than ever he realized how completely and utterly _scary_ the villain could be… and how terrified of Slade he really was. The chilling sound of the villain's voice echoed in his ears.

" _I am the thing that keeps you up at night… the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind…"_

The thing that kept him up at night…

He wasn't just a person, Robin realized, he was everything Robin hated and feared. Everything that kept him up late at night. Failure, frustration, self-loathing… Slade represented those things. Darkness, terror, hidden malice… Slade stood as a proud symbol for them.

Wherever there was darkness, Robin would find him. In every shadow, every dark corner, every little tiny crevice of his mind… Slade would be there.

The thought made Robin shiver. A tiny jolt of panic shot through him.

"Get a grip Robin," Raven admonished as though she could hear his thoughts. "Dwelling on your fears won't help you."

Robin relaxed and let his inner musings drop.

Raven worked quickly and had soon healed as much as she could. Then she wandered to the other side of the bed and watched Cyborg study the display on the monitor, leaving Robin alone with Starfire.

The Boy Wonder struggled awkwardly with what he wanted to say. "Um… Starfire?" he managed at last.

She turned toward him at once. "Yes Robin?" she asked.

A stab of guilt ran through him as he looked her in her wide, gentle eyes. "Um… look—I… about earlier… when I… shouted at you… I-I'm…"

He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry," he said, dropping his gaze.

Starfire put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You were not yourself," she told him softly. He looked up at her with a grateful smile. Both turned to watch Cyborg work.

After a few minutes of studying, the cybernetic teen straightened up.

"Looks like Slade pulled off one last trick," he announced. He pointed to one of the displays as he continued. "His mask contained a chemical reagent that infiltrated your nervous system."

"The dust," Robin said, remembering the musty smell of it from earlier. "It made me see, hear, and feel Slade… even though he wasn't there."

"And the more you fought, the more harm it did to you," Starfire added, nodding.

"And anybody _else_ who got in the way…" Raven muttered behind them, rubbing her chin.

Cyborg checked over his data one last time and smiled. "Scan says you're all clear now, though."

"Yeah?" Robin tugged off the sensors. "Well, just to be sure…" he said, pushing off the bed and crossing over to the light switch. He flicked it off and looked warily around the darkened room.

Nothing. Just Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire.

Robin sighed and flipped the light switch back on. His waking nightmare was over at last.

"I've been fighting Slade for so long, I guess it's hard to just let it go," he said solemnly. His eyes lifted up to the somber faces of his friends. "But sometimes I feel like I'm the only one still looking for him," he confessed guiltily, "the only one who can stop him..."

He felt stupid for admitting such a thing. They were his friends. They were a team. He had to stop shoving them to the side whenever his obsession to catch Slade got the better of him.

"Robin," Starfire said, voice soft and tender, eyes full of concern, "you are never alone."

" _As long as I'm around, you are never alone."_

Robin remembered Slade saying that earlier.

Starfire's version was so much nicer to hear.

"And if Slade really does return," Cyborg put in, "we'll be ready. We've got things covered here. Why don't you get some rest?"

Robin smiled faintly. "Sounds like a good idea."

He walked through the infirmary door, sighing resignedly as it hissed closed behind him.

Getting rest would be easy.

Letting it go… that would be the hardest thing he'd ever done.

But as long as the Titans were together, he thought, they just might make it through.


	11. Beacon

The stark white walls of the room mirrored the hollow emotional state of its occupant.

Empty.

The empath's eyes rolled around in her head. They floated listlessly around the room, looking for something to occupy their attention. Eventually they settled on her arms.

They were shivering. She drew them into her cloak for warmth.

Someone in the back of her head was laughing at her. A cold, cruel laugh, that sounded like it came from the devil himself.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

_Go away_ , she thought tiredly. _We defeated you a long time ago_.

It had been a grim victory, hard won, and the effects of it still lingered over the city and in her mind. But somehow they had beaten him. Defeated him.

The laughter resolved into a voice.

" _Defeated me?"_

The voice sniggered derisively.

" _Look at yourself Raven. Look at what you've become. A hollow lifeless shell of your former self."_

_Shut up._

" _Can you really call this a victory?"_ the voice taunted further.

Raven's eyes squeezed tighter.

_It's not real… just tell yourself it isn't real…_

" _You may have been able to banish me from your world. But you can never banish me from your mind, little girl. I created you. I am a part of you. As long as you live, you will never be rid of me… never be rid… never… be… rid…"_

As it spoke, the voice faltered and slowed. Eventually it faded away entirely into her tattered psyche and she was alone with the blank white walls again.

Relief washed over her. She sighed. For a second she'd almost believed her father was talking to her. Heh.

She hated the visions that involved her father. Whenever he showed up he was always mocking her, tormenting her. Somewhere in the back of her head Raven had a nagging pessimistic suspicion that those visions, at least, were real.

She should know better by now. There were always voices… images… sounds and colors… passing through her head and before her eyes… tempting her… taunting her… calling out to her…

Sometimes the figments took on the shape and appearance of her former friends, the Teen Titans. For half a second her heart would lift at the sight of them. But unlike the visions of her father, these _weren't_ real. She reached out and they vanished. Every time it happened, a little more of her died inside. A little more hope was killed. She didn't know why. They'd split up so long ago. It shouldn't bother her anymore… But it did. Every time her ears heard those familiar voices… happy, joyful voices calling her name… every time their familiar features filled her vision… she wanted to smile and laugh and cry all at once… wanted to be with them once more… just like in the old times… just like before…

But every time she lifted her hand to reach for them, they disappeared, and she was left passing her hand over the spot where they'd been as if smoothing a soft fabric.

Eventually she just stopped acknowledging them. Now, whenever the figments appeared, she ignored them, reminded herself they weren't real. Had they ever been? Raven thought they might have once. She could remember a few times early on in her stay here. Beast Boy would pay her visits sometimes. It always made her feel a little better to see him. Even after the team had split up and the other two had stopped talking to her, he'd hung around. That had been nice. She tilted her head back and let out a raspy little hum at the memory.

_Wonder where he is now… Hasn't paid me a visit in… how long's it been? A year? A decade?_

Felt longer than that. Maybe two decades.

_Wish he'd come back. It's lonely here in this room by myself… with people who aren't even real._

Sometimes she wasn't even sure if _she_ was real, if she was a living breathing person or if she was just some floating consciousness or entity stuck in some limbo somewhere. Her body seemed to fade away sometimes.

Not today though. Her arms still shivered under her white cloak, telling her with every tremble that there was still blood pumping in her veins.

She sighed. _It's always so cold in here…_

She had a lot of free time inside this room. Sometimes she used it to try and meditate, regain those parts of her that had been broken and lost after she and the other Titans had defeated her father. The pieces of her soul had a nasty habit of slipping away from her, though, so she'd give up on it eventually. Sometimes she wandered around the room, counting the steps it took to get from one end to the other (thirty-six) or how many cracks there were in the walls (fourteen). Sometimes she fooled around with what little remained of her powers. Sometimes she played childish games she made up or sang silly little songs that didn't rhyme or make any sense.

Mostly she just thought. Her mind would drift from thought to thought in an ever-dizzying swirl of feelings and memories. Often, it got so intense she had to stop thinking entirely, and just let her mind clear for a minute. Then the process would begin again. She'd be floating lazily from a memory of going out for pizza with the Titans to thinking it would be a nice change if she could order some pizza here—the meals they served were always so bland—and then to another memory of the time Beast Boy had accidentally left a slice of pizza out on the roof of Titans Tower overnight. And on and on she drifted.

That was usually when the figments visited her. It had hurt at first to see them… and she still hated it when the voice or image of her father paid her a visit... but she'd gotten used to it. She just told them to go away, told herself they weren't real.

They were never real. Nothing was real anymore. Just this room and these walls in this old building... somewhere…

"Raven?"

The new voice broke feebly into Raven's private musings and she felt something hovering at the fringes of her empathic abilities. Her head lifted with a slight, barely visible tilt. Was that a presence?

_No… it couldn't be…_

It was a nice voice though. Warm. Friendly. Happy. Raven remembered hearing it greeting her cheerfully every morning back when she was a Teen Titan. She missed those days.

"Raven, it is I, Starfire," the voice was saying. "Your friend."

_Friend…_

A well of anguish sprung up in her heart at the word. Something inside her wilted. "No… such… thing…" she heard her own broken voice reciting.

She didn't have any friends. Hadn't her father reminded her of that at every turn? Raven could hear him laughing in the back of her mind again. _No such thing as friends_ , she thought in a slight singsong. They'd all gone away… She was alone. Alone with her thoughts and the crazed hallucinations of her shattered, overactive mind.

Like the one that was talking to her now.

"Please, Raven, I—"

"Just another figment," Raven reminded herself out loud. It was never Starfire, or Beast Boy, or any of the others. Just figments. Just imagination.

This one _felt_ real though, or at least realer than most of the others.

_Maybe this time it_ ** _is_** _real_ , said one stubborn part of her that refused to give up hope. _Maybe this time we should answer._

_You know better than that,_ the rest of her droned glumly. _It's never real._ No matter what she felt, that couldn't change the reality. "Don't even look," she admonished herself aloud, ignoring the tugging she felt on her empathic sense. Her voice didn't even echo off the walls; just fell lifeless from her dry, chapped lips. Raven waited for the voice to fade, for whatever she felt vaguely at the back of her mind to vanish just as her father had a few moments before.

It didn't.

"You must listen!" it insisted, no less loudly and clearly than it had been before.

Well, this was certainly one persistent figment. From underneath her cloak Raven's eyes were glaring. She didn't need this. She didn't need the voices of her friends whispering in her ear, giving her false hope. She especially didn't need Starfire, or what she though was Starfire, tormenting her with her presence, imaginary though it may be. She just wanted to be left alone.

_Leave me alone…_ she thought. _You aren't here… you can't be here… you're never coming back…_

The voice wasn't listening. "I am here because—"

"Never coming back!" Raven screamed, cutting the voice off with angry resentment.

How many times had they said that? How many times had they refused to believe it? How many times had they dared to think, to hope against hope that she was only lost, that somehow she would find her way back to them? Raven knew the truth. She had accepted it long ago. Starfire was gone forever.

"Go away!" she shouted at the figment before physically distancing herself from it. A lump in her throat was threatening to choke her. She swallowed it and took a deep breath. _Calm down_ , she told herself. _It's just a figment… no point getting upset about it… it'll go away…_

"It has to go away…" she murmured, her voice tinged with sorrow and the slightest desperation. "Just like before…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "…just like all the others…"

She trailed off and fell silent. Behind her the presence faltered, shrinking back away from her as though unsure. Raven could feel its emotional state shift, from determination to a quiet sympathy.

_No_ , she corrected herself. _You only_ ** _think_** _you can sense its emotions. It's not really there…_ She tried to concentrate on the walls, the floor, anything to take her mind off that voice and that… entity, whatever it was. In her periphery senses she could still feel it. It seemed to have shrunk back a little at first, but then it quietly reached out.

From somewhere behind her, the voice spoke again, softly, tenderly, warmth flowing from every syllable. "Your mind… Without friends, you must have—"

Raven conjured a black barrier with her mind that snapped into existence between them, as though a physical barrier would shield her from an illusion of her own making.

The presence halted.

Raven shrank into herself, into the cold depths of her lonely heart and away from the welcoming warmth of the illusion's company. Her eyes closed in somber desolation.

_Please… just let it go away_ , she begged.

She held her breath as the presence retreated sadly. She felt it withdraw, taking its heat with it. It left, leaving the room silent and cold once more. She breathed a sigh of relief. Finally she was alone again, in the freezing white room… with her own thoughts and memories.

She let down the barrier and exhaled slowly, her breath broken up by quiet sobs.

_Starfire…_ A rush of sad memories flooded over her at the sound of that name. Raven remembered how it happened. How she vanished that day they fought Warp so long ago… and hadn't been seen or heard from since.

The team had never been the same after that.

Robin took it the worst, naturally. When he wasn't holed up in the evidence room he was out searching for her and looking for clues with an obsession that rivaled that of his need to unmask Slade. She and Cyborg had helped search too, only with different methods than their leader. Beast Boy tried extra hard to keep everyone's spirits up… but as the days turned to weeks and then months… an ever-deepening melancholy began to settle over the group. Beast Boy remained hopeful the longest. Robin, while reluctant to give up hope, gradually started to think that maybe Starfire was gone for good. Cyborg was the same. Raven herself had accepted it long ago and grew increasingly frustrated with the other three for their hesitation to give up the search. The relationship between the Titans grew strained.

It all came to a head the day they had their first big fight. It had been the day they met Terra. They had been discussing the possibility of letting her join the team when someone—probably Beast Boy, Raven wasn't sure—made a rather accusatory insinuation that the others were considering replacing Starfire with their new-found friend. Robin became immediately defensive, insisting that no one was replacing anybody and that the post would be temporary.

" _Yeah right,"_ Beast Boy had commented cynically with an unusual bitterness in his voice. _"Why don't we just give her Starfire's old room while we're at it?"_

The argument had only devolved from there. Amid the pointed shouting and a few nasty insults Cyborg's bleak declaration voiced what he'd finally come to believe.

" _She's not coming back."_

Robin shut down after that, Raven remembered. He'd slammed his laptop shut with more force than necessary and began to stalk out of the room.

" _Where are you going?"_ Beast Boy had demanded.

" _Out,"_ was Robin's aggravated reply. _"Don't expect me back anytime soon."_

" _Good,"_ Beast Boy responded surly.

The shouting match continued long after Robin left, with much unpleasantness on all sides. Finally though, the Titans began to lose steam. By the time Robin returned, they had cooled off enough to agree that the fight had been pretty much pointless and accomplished nothing. (Terra, for her part, had fled the Tower the instant the argument began, no doubt contributing to that conclusion.)

That was when it had started, Raven decided. After that, the friendship between the remaining Titans… grew cold. Raven spent more time in her room and less time with the other Titans. They talked less. Stopped hanging out as much. Had a couple more fights. In spite of Beast Boy's admonitions that they should stay together for Starfire's sake—"It's what she would've wanted us to do" he kept telling them—the _rekmas_ she had warned them so fervently about came. The Titans began to drift.

It felt like a fire going out.

Raven shivered.

What was the use of remembering how it ended? Those recollections just froze her inside and chilled her heart. She'd much rather remember how it used to be… when things were sunny and warm… and when she had friends.

Tugging her cloak around her Raven let her mind drift to happier memories… like the time Beast Boy had tried to make her tea and somehow managed to dump the whole pot on Cyborg when he brought it over to the table…

-TT-

A while later Raven had all but forgotten the unpleasant incident of that morning. She was staring at the faint water stain on the wall and thinking about how much it looked like a rabbit with three ears when all of a sudden a soft red light flared up and filled her vision with a faint crimson glare. Raven glanced down curiously.

…The brooch on her cloak was flashing.

Huh. That was new.

Raven stared at the blinking red light. The gem set in the clasp of her cloak flickered on and off, glowing as though lit with fire from within.

_That's kinda pretty._

She reached up, gently clasping the jewel in her hand. She was surprised to find that she could feel the stone heat up and cool down at each flicker. She grasped it tighter, eyes widening in wonder. The brooch pulsed beneath her icy fingers, warmth radiating into her with every flash.

Slowly the flashing beams poked a hole through the shadows of her mind like the beam of a lighthouse cutting through heavy fog.

It was real, she realized, breathless.

This flare, this red radiance, this light flashing on and off… was real.

She gazed at the gem in awe, watching it light up underneath her palm with something akin to hope stirring in her heart. Memories were rushing to the fore of her brain, memories about this signal and what it meant. If this blinking red light was real—

Raven inhaled sharply through her teeth at the implication.

If this signal… this beacon… shining a light of hope into the very darkness and despair of her soul… if this was truly real… then… then…

Then her friends needed her.

_They need me…_

Without any further thought, Raven gathered all her energy to herself. Her mouth opened, lungs drew in air to shout the mantra she hadn't used in years.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her limbs stretched and dissolved into the wings of her soul self, which screeched and vanished in a flash of black, and now she was rushing through the walls and the ground and the air, hope fueling her frantic flight and lending her even greater speed. As she flew, she tapped into her empathic sense, sending it out ahead of her to locate her friends. From her left she could discern a cluster of familiarity, an impression of souls near and dear to her heart.

_There!_

She streaked towards the spot. A chaotic stream of shadows and essences brushed past her in a dizzying blur. As she got closer, the souls drew near, converging as one on a spot somewhere up ahead. Among them she recognized the presence from earlier, the fire in its heart a blaze of color and vitality. Its identity was unmistakable.

_Starfire._

If her soul self could cry, Raven would be weeping for joy. Her elation skyrocketed her straight as an arrow towards her friends. She didn't slow down even when she perceived another, darker entity in the nearby vicinity, its identity just as familiar, but by no means as welcome.

_Warp._

Even after twenty years she still recognized his malice. Anger burned in her heart at the painful memories of her last encounter with the villain. He was standing there, in the exact same room where Starfire disappeared, arm raised against the four other Titans, preparing to fire. Raven reached out with her mind, her dark energy latching onto his arm, then spreading across his whole body. She had flung him to the side with her telekinesis before she even reached the warehouse room.

Rising up from the floor in a black burst her soul self spun, swirled, and finally revealed the determined Titaness, defiance and triumph shining in the eyes that glowed under her white hood.

Raven's heart beat with the spark of new-found faith, a faith that had been restored only moments ago by the smallest, softest beacon of crimson light.

"Nobody hurts my friends," she growled, floating to join the Titans and face their foe together… as teammates and friends once more.


	12. Further Antics

"Hey Robin?"

"Yeah?" Robin replied, not looking up from his typing.

Beast Boy, currently sprawled upside-down across the sofa, fiddled with his communicator, flipping the lid open and closed with a distinctive clicking.

"If you could swap powers with anyone on the team, who would it be?"

Robin stopped typing. He turned around in his chair to give the shape shifter a quizzical look. "Why do want to know?"

"Just curious," Beast Boy told him, twisting his body around so that he was facing the Titans' leader. "So, who would you switch powers with?"

Robin thought about the changeling's question for a bit. "I dunno," he said finally, half-turning back to his work. "Probably Starfire."

"Oh… kay…" Beast Boy acknowledged, puzzled by the answer. "Any particular reason why?"

"Not really."

Beast Boy flipped his legs around and slid neatly off the couch. "Betcha I can guess why…" he mumbled under his breath.

Robin swung around in his chair and gave Beast Boy an annoyed look. "Oh, and who would you swap powers with?" he challenged.

"You," the shape-shifter replied.

A pause.

"Really?" Robin asked critically, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah! I mean—" The changeling leapt to his feet and proceeded to perform an imitation of the Titans' leader in action. "With your, 'hyah!' and your 'hi-yah!' and your 'Titans go!'" said Beast Boy, punching the air in front of him. "Not to mention the R-cycle and all the cool stuff in your utility belt."

Robin blinked, slightly taken aback, and stared at the young shape-shifter.

"What?" asked Beast Boy innocently.

"…Are you trying to suck up to me?"

"Robin…" Beast Boy said in a hurt and slightly offended tone of voice. "How could you say such a thing? Have I _ever_ done anything like that before?"

Robin crossed his arms and glared.

"What do you want Beast Boy?" he demanded irritably.

Beast Boy laughed nervously and fidgeted under the Boy Wonder's withering gaze. "Heh heh! Actually it can probably wait until tomorrow… yeah… so…" Beast Boy stammered. "See ya!" he exclaimed, making a hasty retreat from the room.

Robin shook his head and turned back to his work. _Beast Boy and his methods of persuasion…_

-TT-

"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is…" groaned Raven as she spotted the pile of dirty laundry sitting in the hallway outside Beast Boy's door.

"What _do_ you think it is?" the changeling himself asked, poking his head out from under a cluster of socks that desperately needed a trip through the washing machine... yesterday.

"Another one of your ridiculous pranks?" Raven guessed wearily.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her with a playful grin. "Right on target!" he told her, diving back into his pile.

Raven threw her eyes up to the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. "What does it involve this time? Bombarding us with your smelly socks?"

"No," came Beast Boy's muffled response. The shape-shifter's green head popped out from a lower portion of the pile. "This one's actually pretty simple. I just hide here until someone comes along and then I pop out and give them the scare of their life."

"Simple yet ingenious," Raven commented sarcastically.

"Thanks!" the shape-shifter chirped brightly. Beast Boy dove back into his pile, rummaged around for a little bit, then emerged partway from beneath a pair of jeans at the bottom of the pile.

"Um… Can you hand me a few of those comic books?" he asked her tentatively, pointing to a stack of them just inside the doorframe. "I might be here a while."

Raven sighed again, grabbed a handful from the top of the stack, then handed them to the wayward prankster.

He flashed a smile at her. "Thanks!"

He burrowed back into his pile, precious comic books clutched to his chest.

"Tell me how it turns out," Raven told him dismissively as she continued on her way to the main room.

-TT-

Raven was not surprised when a loud "BOO!" and a startled yelp broke the relative stillness of the Tower followed by an annoyed "Beast Boy!" from Robin and the changeling's distinct laughter running up and down the hallway.

The shape-shifter soon entered the main room, still laughing, and made his way over to Raven.

"Ha ha! That was great! The look on his face—just priceless!"

Beast Boy hooted and fell to the floor, holding his sides and laughing for all he was worth.

Raven, currently floating a few feet above him in an attempt to meditate, propped open an eye to take in the prankster's happy hysterics.

"Having fun?" she asked rhetorically.

In between chuckles Beast Boy straightened and replied, "You should have seen it Raven! He walked past and I jumped out and then—It was so totally—Ha ha ha!" The changeling dissolved into a fresh burst of giggles and lay back down on the floor.

"Did he mention he came to tell you that it's your turn to clean out the fridge?"

Beast Boy stopped laughing and sat up, slouching his shoulders. "Way to ruin my fun Raven," he muttered grumpily.

"You're welcome," Raven said, smirking gleefully.

* * *


	13. Charades

"Who comes running to your door when you scream? Is it: A-your crush, B-your best friend, C-your mom, or D-your dog?"

Starfire rolled over on her bed onto her stomach and sat up on her elbows. Her brow crinkled in puzzlement as she read over the question again.

_This is a very strange quiz._

Who would come running to the door if she screamed? She didn't know. Her pen hovered indecisively above the answers a few moments.

_I suppose I will have to try it and see._

Starfire set her pen down beside the magazine, and got off the bed. Hesitantly she stepped over to the open doorway of her room.

She suspected it would be Robin. He was usually the first one on the scene when there was trouble in the Tower. And he was always the first one at her side when she was in danger, she thought with a smile. (She rather liked that.) Robin would be the easiest to explain sounding a false alarm to anyways.

It was strange. Whenever the other Titans sounded a false alarm, Robin would get annoyed at them. Yet when it was she who did the 'crying wolf' as they called it, his worry turned to relief instead of irritation. Cyborg and Beast Boy sometimes called attention to the habit, usually for the purpose of teasing and embarrassing their normally no-nonsense leader. (Starfire for her part pretended not to notice, secretly quite pleased when he did it.)

Her hands trembled a little as she stood by the door, looking out to the hallway beyond. She hoped it would be Robin who came. If it wasn't, she hoped the other Titans would just write this off as one of her strange idiosyncrasies.

Taking a deep breath to bolster her courage, she leaned out the doorway and opened her mouth.

-TT-

Coincidentally Robin was taking a break from mulling over newspaper clippings in the evidence room and was out and about in the halls when Starfire's ear-piercing shriek shattered the relative stillness of the Tower.

"Starfire?"

Alarmed and immediately on edge Robin bolted through the corridor. He reached the open doorway to Starfire's room and burst in, ready for anything.

"Starfire! Are you all—?"

"Oh! It _was_ you! Just as I suspected it would be! I am so relieved."

Except for Starfire saying something like that.

"Uh…" Brain functions grinding to a halt and emotional gears shifting without a clutch, he rubbed the back of his head checking for blunt force trauma. "…What?"

Starfire dipped her head bashfully. "Forgive me," she apologized. "I was not in danger. I was merely conducting an experiment."

"Oh," Robin said, visibly relaxing. The tension in his limbs vanished. "Don't scare me like that," he admonished gently, looking at the alien princess with concern.

"I am sorry." She floated over to the bed and plucked a magazine off of the covers. Returning to him she pointed out a quiz on one of the pages. "I did not know how else to find the answer to this inquiry."

Robin read over the inquiry in question, dimly wondering whether Starfire would mark him A or B and if he'd asked her to get rid of these magazines yet.

"Oh!" Starfire exclaimed, suddenly worried. "You do not suppose they mean the person would _always_ come running when you screamed?"

"I'm sure they meant just once," Robin assured her quickly, a line of perspiration starting to gather on his brow. The last thing he needed was Starfire randomly screaming to summon him to her room at odd hours of the day. Not that he wouldn't come, of course. If it ever did turn out to be an emergency he wanted to be there to aid her. It was just that Beast Boy and Cyborg were sure to be suspicious. More suspicious than they already were at least. The other boys could have hardly failed to notice how _he_ was always the one explaining Earth culture to her, and rescuing and protecting her, and generally behaving like a lovesick idiot around her. Heck, even Raven must have noticed by now. (Fact, he could have sworn he caught her smirking at him a couple of times.) The only one who _hadn't_ noticed had been Robin himself—up until the other boys pointed it out to him.

He would much rather not lend himself to further embarrassment.

Consequently his first instinct when Starfire pursed her lips and murmured to herself, "Perhaps I should try it a few more times to be sure." was to panic and blurt out, "You shouldn't do that!"

"Why not?" Starfire questioned, offended by his unexpected rudeness.

"Uh, because—I—well…" Robin stammered, tongue stumbling for an explanation that wouldn't get the rest of him blasted out of the room. "I might not… come next time," he lied, purposely avoiding Starfire's eyes and looking off in another direction, his arms crossed.

When she said nothing and merely gazed quizzically at him he shifted a little on his feet. "And anyway," he continued, "if you sound too many false alarms..." He trailed off.

"Yes?" prompted Starfire.

Robin looked down at the floor. "People might not believe you when it's the real thing," he said evasively. He stole a glance up at her to gauge her reaction.

"You are saying that when I 'cry wolf'… you would ignore it or let someone else come to aid me?" she concluded questioningly, expression impassive.

"Uh…" Robin hoped he wasn't seriously messing up their relationship by saying this. "Yes?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

"I do not believe you will Robin," she said.

She'd called his bluff. Robin gulped nervously.

-TT-

Over the course of the next few days Starfire screamed a total of six times. Raven showed up for the first and last time at the second false alarm and graciously passed the word along to Cyborg and Beast Boy.

Robin came running every time.

"Dude, you're so gullible," Beast Boy complained disparagingly as Robin stalked by him in the hall. "Why do you keep answering her distress calls when you know it's a false alarm?"

" _Because_ , Beast Boy—" Robin growled, "—if for some reason it does turn out to be an emergency and I _don't_ show up, there's going to be a lot of guilt dumped on my conscience because of it. And the _last_ thing I need any more of in my life—" he hissed, "—is guilt."

He hurried past without further comment.

"That's a pretty good reason actually…" Beast Boy commented.


	14. After the Mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after "Of Mistletoe and Mum's Cookies".

December 21st.

Hot Spot was starting to feel just a little bit testy. And anyone with an iota of sense knows it is not wise to tick off a human flame-thrower when he is testy.

The Tower's toaster, however, was unaware of that fact and so suffered a grisly and painful death that morning.

"Aww, man!" Herald groaned. "Why'd you have to take it out on the toaster?"

"It burned my toast," Hot Spot said crossly.

"You burn things all the time! You don't see the rest of us frying you to a crisp for it!" Herald protested.

Jericho tugged on the back of the teleporter's cloak—as if to say, _Let it go Herald._ Herald sighed and tossed the loaf of bread he'd opened back into the refrigerator.

Hot Spot stayed where he was, glaring at the blackened spot on the counter where the toaster had been a moment before.

The source of his agitation was no mystery. With Christmas only a few days away the members of Titans Oceanic were starting to become frantic. Last-minute shopping still had to be done. Presents had to be wrapped. The final arrangements for the Christmas party had to be made. They had to go out and get a new toaster.

Fortunately for them they had an expert planner and organizer on the team.

Unfortunately she'd refused to come out of her room for the past two days.

"Come on Argent!" he'd implored as he banged on her door the other afternoon. "Quit moping around and help me out!"

Argent's muffled voice came through the heavy steel of the door.

"Handle it you'self."

"I can't organize a Christmas party! You _know_ I stink at planning things!"

"Maybe you shoulda thought o' that before you and the others decided to play pranks on me," she responded surly.

She was still mad about whole mistletoe thing. Hot Spot didn't get it.

"Why are you still so upset about that?" he complained. "It's not like we've never played a trick on you before. What makes this one so bad?"

"What makes it—?" A series of heavy clumping noises as Argent stalked across the room. The door slid open partway to reveal her unsmiling face. "First of all—" she began, "—pretending to be sick and then hanging mistletoe in the doorway so you could snap an embarrassing picture of the two of us snogging was in very bad taste. Second," she continued, "it was a particularly mean and deceitful prank to pull. And finally—" And here she raised her voice. "You deliberately invaded my personal boundaries, and in the process of elevating your over-inflated male ego you crushed my fragile feminine feelings and threw a wrench in the already emotionally unstable relationship between us _without even realizing it!_ "

Hot Spot blinked. "I did what now?"

She slammed the door in his face with an infuriated growl. No amount of persuasion had been able to talk her out of her room after that. Not even Jericho had been able to convince her to come out.

Which meant he was stuck trying to arrange things he had absolutely no knowledge or skill how to manage.

Hot Spot grumbled as he swept the charred remains of the toaster into the waste basket.

_Betcha Robin never has this kind of trouble._

Or if he did, he probably handled it better than the hot-headed pyro.

The boy's grousing was interrupted by the welcome sound of the alarm going off. Hot Spot flung down the broom with an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Finally…"

The other Titans jerked to attention. Jericho gazed around the tree at the flashing icon on the mainframe computer. Wildebeest clapped his hands over his ears with a terse grumble. Herald dropped his spoon into the bowl of cereal he'd poured for himself and pushed away from the table.

"Great. It's four days until Christmas and now we have to stop some low-life villain with a lame name and even lamer one-liners," he muttered.

"Beats going over the guest list for tomorrow's party," Hot Spot told him. He studied the map on the screen for a few minutes. "Looks like he's in the shopping district," he concluded. "Titans go!"

"Wait a minute—" Herald interrupted, bringing everyone to a halt. "Who's gonna get Argent?"

There was a long, awkward pause.

Wildebeest grunted and held up his fist in rock, paper, scissors position.

-TT-

Hot Spot grumbled to himself as he stalked down the hallway to Argent's room.

_They rigged it. I swear, somehow, they rigged it._

He reached the room, raised his fist, and pounded on the door. "Argent!" he barked. "Get out here! We've got work to do!"

Argent, who was quite well aware of the situation, nevertheless replied uncooperatively, "Surely you don't need _my_ help in taking down petty criminals?"

"Don't make me make that an order," Hot Spot retorted snappily.

From behind the door there came a heavy sigh followed by a bit of shuffling before the door slid open and the irked New Zealander shoved past him. The air seemed statically charged around her as she brushed against him, and the look in her eyes could have very well melted ice.

The feeling was mutual. Hot Spot however, didn't comment and just followed the pale-skinned girl back to OPS, where a quick blast on Herald's trumpet spirited the group away.

-TT-

The Titans Oceanic arrived on the scene mere scant feet from the source of the trouble. It was a wide bridge overhanging a river. On either side of the rushing blue water were shop-lined streets, several of which had broken windows in a testament to the crime taking place.

Powers ablaze Hot Spot readied himself to confront whatever strange and unusual creature had set off the alarm.

The criminal was certainly, ah… strange and unusual.

Hovering behind the pyrokinetic, Argent lowered her glowing red fists in disbelief. "You have _got_ to be bloody joking!"

The thief was in front of a toy store on the left hand side of the river, directly across the street from them, surrounded by bags of toys lifted from the shelves and he was dressed—no lie—like the Grinch from the Dr. Seuss story, in a green-haired body suit that did _not_ flatter the skinny twenty-something year old man inside. Neither did the horrendously lathered-on face make-up that completed the effect. He turned towards them in surprise, dropping a stuffed animal. He quickly recognized them with a wily, black-lipped smile that spread across his face, painfully cracking the heavily layered green paint, and launched into an obviously pre-prepared rhyme.

" _Ah Titans Oceanic, so glad we finally meet._

_I'd love to fight, but I'm afraid I can't be beat._

_Go on off now, let me on my way._

_Perhaps we'll meet some other day."_

Argent rolled her eyes. Herald and Jericho stared. Wildebeest was trying hard not to laugh.

Hot Spot decided he'd had enough nonsense and sent a stream of fire straight towards the green monstrosity. The flames exploded in a bright orange conflagration, which filled the surrounding area with smoke, briefly hiding the criminal from view.

"I'd really much rather fight you now than have to listen to your weirdness again later," he told the villain jadedly.

"I second that," Argent murmured behind him.

" _As you wish,"_ the wannabe-Grinch's voice floated through the smoke, _"but you were warned. I won't be beaten, and you'll be scorned."_

"This guy ain't even worth it," Herald decided, lifting up his horn. Before he could sound a note on it, however, there was a sudden volley of red laser beams that hailed down on the Titans from above, forcing them to scatter in all directions and duck for cover. From behind their respective shelters the surprised members of the team looked up as the smoke finally cleared to reveal the snot-colored wacko standing on the roof of the toy store, legs spread apart and an unpleasant-looking weapon clutched in each hand. One was the laser gun they'd just been introduced to. The other looked like a cross between a grenade launcher and a bazooka with a lot of dials and buttons on it.

Argent, crouched underneath a large pick-up truck, uncovered her head. "Okay, so…" she commented to Wildebeest, who was squatting behind the truck nearby. " _Not_ as lame as the green fat suit would lead you to believe."

Wildebeest grunted affirmatively before tugging her out from under the truck.

A series of laser bolts punctured the street and sidewalk, flushing the Titans out of their hiding places. In the series of explosions that followed, Herald was separated from his horn, which lost itself in the wreckage of a park bench, ruling out any possibility of an early victory.

Argent conjured a red shield over her head as she maneuvered around to the other side of the street and ducked through the doors of a neighboring store. Hot Spot and Wildebeest provided cover for her, the former hurling flame darts up at the criminal, the later picking up abandoned bags of particularly heavy toys and throwing them.

From where they were plastered against the side of a building, Herald and Jericho watched, safe for the moment.

Jericho looked at his friend. _Your horn?_ he signed questioningly.

Herald eyed the tangled metal wreckage of the park bench. "I think I can get it," he announced. He cast a glance in the direction of the firefight. "If Old Grinchy's distracted long enough for me to—"

Jericho pulled on his hood.

"What is it?" Herald asked, turning towards him.

The mute boy pointed at himself, then up towards the roof.

"Ohh…" Herald said, comprehending. "Good thinking, man." He cupped his hands together for a foothold and helped the quiet blonde scramble up the facade.

Meanwhile, Hot Spot had launched himself onto the roof with two jets of fire from his hands and was now throwing balls of flame at the green menace, who backpedaled several feet to avoid each blast, then lifted the grenade launcher/bazooka-shaped weapon and twisted several dials on it. A stream of putrid-smelling green slime spewed from the barrel and splashed over the pyro, knocking him off the roof. Hot Spot landed back on the street and soon found that he was stuck to the pavement.

Growling, he reached inside for more heat and gradually began to melt the slime off him.

Wildebeest, in the meantime, decided he needed to throw something bigger than battery-powered Eliminator Robots and picked up the truck from earlier, only to find himself on the receiving end of a blast of strange pink liquid that stung his eyes and nose. He let out a roar, dropping the pick-up truck and furiously rubbing his eyes.

The Grinch gave a satisfied smile, and then turned to face Jericho, who had just now climbed up onto the roof beside him.

That was a mistake. Jericho lunged, phasing into the villain's body as soon as he made eye contact.

"Ack!" the Grinch shouted, dropping both his weapons and clawing at his face. His limbs began to move of their own accord, punching his own face and yanking out handfuls of green hair from the bodysuit. _"Get out of there!"_ the criminal yelled. _"Quit hitting my head! Quit pulling my hair!"_

Having the distraction he needed, Herald ran for the pile of wreckage and, with a triumphant smile, located his silver horn and prepared to lift it to his lips. Except it was lodged between two twisted pieces of metal. And wouldn't budge.

"Great," he groaned, tugging at it in vain.

Back on the roof, the lean green fighting machine managed with some effort to regrasp his slime-and-pepper-spray-and-who-knew-what-else shooter. Before he could use it, however, a bright red ribbon snaked around the barrel.

"There a word that rhymes with plasma?" Argent teased. She was hovering to the rear of the hero-possessed villain, having slipped around behind him through the back door of the neighboring shop.

"A-asthma!" the pitiful man cried, hanging onto his weapon for dear life.

Argent frowned and tugged harder on her end of the ribbon, starting a three way tug-of-war (of sorts) for the device.

She pulled on the ribbon.

The Grinch pulled on the weapon.

Jericho—from inside the Grinch's body—pulled on the man's fingers trying to get him to let go of the weapon.

"Herald love? Feel free to use that horn any time now," Argent called, straining with all her might against the surprisingly strong and stubborn grip of the petty criminal.

"Gee, I'd love to," the teleporter replied sarcastically. "But it's stuck."

"'ang on, I'll be right there," Argent replied.

Thinking quickly, she zipped around to the other side of the building, catching the Grinch off guard, and with a firm jerk on the ribbon she yanked the green man off the roof. He sailed past her in mid-air and landed with a splat on the near end of the bridge.

The plasma ribbon snapped out of existence and Argent landed by Herald.

"Whatcha need?" she asked.

Herald grit his teeth as he pulled at his precious horn. "Don't 'spose you can conjure a chainsaw?"

"Just hurry up and get it loose!" came the irritated voice of their leader. Hot Spot stood up, having finally melted all the slime off him. "We've wasted enough time on this weirdo as it is."

"Oh, perhaps you'd like to help instead of standing there yelling at us," Argent remarked coolly, folding her arms in front of her.

The pyro glared as he stalked over and nudged her to the side. While he bent down to have a look, the silver-skinned girl glanced up worriedly to see how her other two teammates were faring.

Wildebeest was busy flushing his eyes out with water from a fire hydrant he'd pulled off the top of. Jericho was still inside the Grinch, trying to hold the man in one place, namely the center of the bridge spanning the river. From the way the green-skinned crook was smacking his head repeatedly with the butt of his weapon, she noticed with a smile, he seemed to be doing fairly well.

Up until the older man managed to twist the barrel around so that it was pressed against his stomach, flip a couple buttons, and pull the trigger.

_BZZT!_

"Yeowtch!" Jericho cried as a burst of cackling red energy zapped through him, knocking him out of the Grinch's body and onto the bridge. The crook whirled around, resetting the dials on the device and blasted the green slime towards him. A quick dodge saved the boy from most of the spew but some of it still splattered across his face, sticking firmly to his eyes and forehead.

"Oy!" Argent yelled, taking to the air and launching herself at the villain. "Fight fair ya soddy—"

The Grinch pressed a button and fired a stream of red energy at her.

"Uhh!" she grunted before dropping out of sight into the river below.

"Argent!" Hot Spot cried, heart in his throat, standing to his feet in an instant.

The Grinch clucked his tongue mockingly. _"Oh oh, I'm sorry son. Did your girlfriend get hurt? She's not the only one!"_ he laughed.

Hot Spot snarled in rage and sent a massive blast of fire straight at the villain, who yelped and darted out of the way with all the nimbleness of, well, a grinch.

All the nimbleness in the world, however, couldn't help him avoid catching the green-haired body suit on fire in several places.

The wannabe-Grinch screeched, threw down his gun, and slapped at the tiny tongues of fire in a desperate attempt to put them out.

_Serves you right_ , Hot Spot thought, running to the bridge and rushing over to help Jericho. "You okay?" he asked as he knelt down by the mute.

Jericho nodded, trying to pry the slime off his eyes with his fingertips.

"Hold still," the pyro directed.

Lifting his hand he held a steady, concentrated stream of fire against the sludge, which softened and melted and finally peeled gently off the boy's face.

Back on the street Herald glanced up from his own task to see Wildebeest shuffling about, eyes finally cleansed of the stinging liquid substance.

An idea came to him.

"Hey WB!" he called. "C'mere and help me out."

The human wildebeest looked indecisively from Herald to the Grinch—who was still flapping his arms ridiculously—and then walked over.

"Punch this," Herald instructed, pointing to one of the twisted metal pieces.

Wildebeest happily obliged.

The piece snapped in half, releasing Herald's silver trumpet from its iron grip.

"Ha!" the teleporter exclaimed in victory. He stood up and faced the bridge, where Hot Spot was looking worriedly over the side and imitation Grinch was still trying to put himself out.

" _Dolls and teddy bears, robots and games! Someone help!"_ the crook shrieked. _"I'm in flames!"_

"Yeah," Herald acknowledged. "And you're about to be in jail too," he added, lifting the horn to his lips.

A mellow blast on the instrument opened up a portal directly behind the green-suited criminal, which began to drag the villain in.

" _Ack no!"_ he cried. _"This cannot be! For I am INVINCIBLE you see!"_ He let out a final pitiful wail as a mighty gust propelled him backwards through the portal.

"That's what they all say," Herald scoffed as the portal closed up behind the Grinch with a resounding _slurp!_

The two boys smiled and would've shouted in victory had not the scene on the bridge diverted their attention and caused them to feel a slight edge of distress.

Hot Spot peered anxiously over the railing at the river below. The native New Zealander was nowhere in sight… and the rushing blue waters were eerily quiet.

"Argent?" he called uncertainly. He bit his lip thinking about the tone of voice he'd used with her earlier.

Wildebeest grunted, splashed into the river, and began probing about in the water.

Hot Spot clutched the railing, not noticing or caring as it warmed up beneath his hands. _You have to be okay. Please be okay_ , he pleaded. _That thing with the mistletoe… it was just a joke… and I didn't really mean… I shouldn't have said…_

"C'mon Argent you gotta be okay!" he said aloud, voice trembling.

"Does anyone have a blanket?"

Hot Spot whirled around to see Argent, dripping wet but still very much intact, standing on the other side of the bridge, where the villain had just disappeared moments before.

She shivered and rubbed her arms. "That water's freezing!" she exclaimed, as a wave of relief flooded over her teammates.

She was suddenly enveloped in a warm embrace, not from a blanket, however, but from Hot Spot's glowing body. For some strange, inexplicable reason, he had thrown his arms around her. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't _do_ that to us!" he said, holding her small wet body tightly against his chest.

Her face registered a twinge of embarrassment, then slight discomfort. "Um… Hot Spot?" she said. "You can let—you really need to—you're starting to—OWW!"

"Sorry!" he apologized, quickly taking his arms off before he burned her.

She rubbed her arms again, giving the pyro a strange look. "Jeez, you'd think I'd died and come back to life or somethin'."

"Well, you _did_ have us worried there a minute," Herald admitted.

Jericho nodded. Wildebeest voiced his agreement as well as he climbed out of the river and shook himself off.

"Yeah, um," Hot Spot began uncomfortably, "Sorry for being a jerk to you earlier… and for the whole mistletoe thing."

"Really?" asked Argent, amused.

"Can we just forget it ever happened?" the human flame-thrower requested sheepishly.

"Will do. 'pology accepted," Argent told him with a smile.

"There goes our blackmail…" Herald muttered to himself.

The pale-skinned girl looked around the quiet street a little disappointedly. "I missed the green machine's send off, didn't I?"

_Sorry Argent_ , Jericho told her.

Argent shook her head. "Never thought I'd see the day when a crook dressed as a Dr. Seuss character would terrorize kiwi country."

-TT-

"The scones are in a red tub on the top shelf in the fridge."

"Uh-huh."

"There's a plate of pavlovas behind the milk."

"Uh-huh."

"And the guests'll be arriving at ten-o-clock sharp."

"Got it."

"And Hot Spot?"

"Yeah?"

Argent gave him a plaintive, pleading look. "Try and look decent, would ya? My mum's coming to this."

Hot Spot smiled at her. "Sure Argent. I will."


	15. Baby Love

The sharp, acrid smell of metal and oil hung in the air as Cyborg worked, gently and lovingly lowering each finely calibrated new part into the inner workings of the T-Car, pausing occasionally to wipe the sweat from his brow and the grease from the paint job. The pungent scent of heavy machinery filled his nose with a sweet fragrance. Each part clicked into place with a musical clink that was music to his ears.

He'd been working for two hours now, upgrading his precious vehicle with the latest high-tech equipment, making sure everything fit snugly and worked properly. Like an artist hard at work on a beautiful painting, he slaved over the canvas of the car's inner mechanism with care and passion and now he was finally ready to place the last new addition into the engine compartment.

Cyborg handled the TS5 Auto-Injector very gingerly, taking great care not to bump the sides and knock anything loose. As it slid into place, Cyborg smiled and exhaled deeply. Perfect. He closed the hood, wiped his hands on a towel, and surveyed his masterpiece, proud as any painter or sculptor.

"Hey Cy!" Beast Boy chirped as he entered the garage. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.

Cyborg patted the hood of his car affectionately. "Just finished upgrading the T-Car."

"Again?" Beast Boy's face scrunched. "Haven't you already done that like three times this month?"

"Not like this," Cyborg said, eyes gleaming as they ran over the curves of his car.

"Yeah yeah, that's what you said last time," Beast Boy said dismissively. "It's just a car."

Cyborg put his hands on the car protectively, as though Beast Boy had hurt its feelings with his careless words. "This is a precise, finely tuned instrument, designed and made specially for combat, and put together with love and a lot of hard work. So you see, when you look at it that way, it's not _just_ a car," he lectured, "it's _art_."

"Riiiight…" Beast Boy acknowledged doubtfully. He looked over the 'artwork' as Cyborg called it. "So how do you know the engine won't give out and stall on us in the middle of the chase again?"

"Because this time she has the TS5 Auto-Injector," Cyborg explained, inwardly clucking at the changeling's lack of enthusiasm and appreciation for his creation.

Beast Boy peered at the T-Car curiously. "What's that do?"

"Oh, just ups the engine efficiency tenfold and allows my baby to go from zero to sixty in the space of half a second."

Even the somewhat mechanically-challenged Beast Boy knew that was pretty cool. "Sweet!" he said, jumping into the passenger side through the open window. "So, can I can go for a ride?" he asked, putting his feet up on the dash.

Before Cyborg could reply, the lights flashed red and a klaxon began blaring out the signal that meant there was trouble somewhere in the city. Beast Boy scrambled in the seat, trying to rearrange himself into a more professional position. Cyborg calmly entered the driver's side and settled down to wait. In no time at all Robin, Starfire, and Raven were there in the garage, readying themselves for the ride into the city. Robin went straight to the R-cycle and began to strap on his helmet. Cyborg was secretly delighted when Raven and Starfire elected to ride in the car with him.

"Hey y'all, you're just in time for me to demonstrate the new additions to the T-Car."

"Oh, have you been doing the upgrading of the engines?" Starfire inquired eagerly. She clapped her hands in excitement. "That is glorious!"

The buckle of Raven's seatbelt wavered over the clasp. The empath looked ill.

"I… think I'm gonna fly instead," she announced, releasing the seatbelt and swinging back out of her seat. Cyborg frowned as she exited the vehicle, pulling her hood over her head while she slammed the door.

He shrugged. Her loss. Half-turning to the other two, he let an excited grin spread across his face. "Y'all ready? Here goes."

Cyborg slid the key into the ignition and turned it.

The engine rumbled to life with a triumphant roar before settling into a smooth, quiet hum.

Much ink has been spilled on the subject of the love between an adolescent male and his car. The bond was even stronger when the car in question had been painstakingly built by hand. Consequently Cyborg's eyes watered with joy as he listened to the gentle purr.

_Picasso has nothin' on me_.

"Cyborg!" Robin barked, cutting into his thoughts. "Come on! Let's go!"

The cybernetic teen grumbled as he shifted into gear and stepped on the gas.

Communists.

-TT-

Beast Boy had changed his mind and decided that zero to sixty was _not_ a cool thing. His hands gripped the armrests of his seat in sheer white-knuckle terror. When the T-Car finally skidded to a stop and the doors popped open to let him out he collapsed onto the ground with an exaggerated shout of relief.

"Land!" he cried. "Sweet stationary solid earth!"

Cyborg shook his head as he got out of the car.

_Critics are so fickle._

He had to put his thoughts elsewhere, though, in order to concentrate on the fight.

It was Cinderblock this time. He'd gotten out of prison (again), and was busy tearing up the sidewalk in front of a computer store.

One "Titans go!" and several minutes of fighting later, Cinderblock began picking up huge chunks of asphalt and concrete and began hurling them at the teenage heroes. Starfire blasted a few to smithereens with her starbolts. Raven's dark energy surrounded a couple and tossed them safely out of the way. Cyborg himself crumbled a few of them with his sonic cannon, before turning it on Cinderblock and letting the rock monster have a blast from it. Cinderblock stumbled back and recovered, brushed Robin and Beast Boy away with a hard swoop of his arm, and set his sights on the half-robotic young man. The concrete monster hoisted up a particularly heavy boulder and heaved it forcefully in Cyborg's direction. A starbolt shot into his back made him miss and the rock went sailing past Cyborg—

Straight into the windshield of the T-Car.

Sometimes he really hated his life.

Cyborg gritted his teeth to keep from growling and leveled his sonic cannon straight at Cinderblock's chest, knocking the rock monster back several yards down the street.

A few minutes later, after the fight, Beast Boy tentatively made a way to his friend's side.

"You know…" the shape-shifter began, looking at the newly damaged front windshield and the spider web of cracks embedded in it. "I betcha it could still qualify as modern art."

Needless to say, that did not improve Cyborg's mood. The cybernetic teen remained in a sour mood as a tow truck hauled his ruined masterpiece all the way back to the Tower, where he locked himself into the garage again, vowing not to come out until the damage done to his baby had been fixed.

"I betcha other artists don't have to keep rebuilding their creations," he groused as he pried the damaged windshield off and prepared to redo his 'artwork'.


	16. Animal Attraction: Part One

_Stupid animal instincts_ , thought Beast Boy as he paced around his room in wolf form, growling at every turn. _Out of all the possible things I could have gotten along with the power to turn into animals WHY did I have to get saddled with their rotten instincts?_

Okay, so he was exaggerating the point. Sometimes they came in handy. Like in the middle of a fight. Or when he was playing practical jokes on Cyborg. Things like that.

But not all the time and _not_ at three-o-clock in the morning during mating season. Beast Boy was going stir-crazy with the urge to run outside, find a pack of wolves, and take a tumble with the closest available female.

Or failing that, just blow off some steam and… mark his territory or something.

The green wolf that was Beast Boy let out an agitated whine.

It wasn't fair. So what if he'd exchanged Robin's hair gel for motor oil and stuck a dozen beetles in the glove compartment of the T-car? That was no reason to forbid him from leaving his room for a week! This was torture.

_You also put a garter snake under Starfire's pillow_ , a voice in his head reminded him.

Beast Boy stopped pacing.

Okay, maybe _that_ one qualified him for this kind of punishment.

Beast Boy resumed pacing with a terse grumble in his throat.

_If I don't get out of here soon I'm just going to claw through the walls._

His ears perked up. Was that a dog whistle?

It was really loud. Whoever was blowing it had to be nearby. Or just have really strong lungs.

Whichever one, it was hurting his ears. Beast Boy threw his head back and let out an ear-splitting howl. If the whistle-blower could understand wolf language, he'd hear the changeling shouting, "Argh! Don't DO that! I'm not allowed to leave the room and I'm going crazy enough already!"

Beast Boy continued howling to drown out the annoying high pitch of the whistle. His howls got suddenly caught in his throat, however, when the door to his room opened to reveal Raven standing in the hallway, blinking the sleep out of her tired eyes.

"Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy gulped and shifted back to human form. "Heh! Hi Raven," he squeaked, starting to sweat nervously.

"What are you _doing?_ " Raven asked, bewildered, half-closed eyelids signifying that it was really too early in the morning for her to be up at all.

"Um…" stammered Beast Boy, trying to think up a plausible explanation and finding none. "Howling?" he submitted uncertainly.

"Why?" Raven asked darkly.

Beast Boy's whole face was moist by now. He sat back on his haunches, staring past Raven's legs to the hallway beyond and calculating his chances of somehow slipping through the doorway before she could catch him. In spite of Raven being only half-awake and Beast Boy being in a state of instinct-induced animal frenzy, they weren't very good. Beast Boy finally just looked up at the unsmiling face of his tired, barely conscious, leotard-clad… very attractive… female… teammate. The thought started to formulate in his head that maybe—

_No! Bad Beast Boy! Very bad! Don't even think about it! This is_ **_Raven_ ** _we're talking about!_

Beast Boy quickly looked away and curled up into a fetal position, whimpering pitifully.

"What?" glowered Raven, completely unaware of the changeling's predicament.

"I'm not allowed to go outside," Beast Boy explained through his knees as he prepared to drop the bombshell. "…And someone's blowing a dog whistle really loudly… and it's mating season for the wolves..."

Raven took in the information surprisingly well.

That is to say, she flushed red with embarrassment, quickly backed out of Beast Boy's doorway, and shut the door firmly behind her.

Beast Boy groaned and shifted back into wolf's form.

_Six more days… I don't think I can make it…_


	17. Animal Attraction: Part Two

"Greetings Raven! Did you have a pleasant night's sleep?" Starfire inquired brightly as Raven met her in the hall.

"No," the empath grumbled, scowling in spite of the other girl's cheerfulness. "Beast Boy's howling kept me up all night," Raven explained, attempting to straighten the disorganized disarray of her lavender hair.

The alien princess blinked.

"Howling?" she asked, puzzled. "For what purpose would Beast Boy be howling?"

Raven shuddered internally. "You really don't want to know," she said, starting to shoulder past the redhead.

"Oh, but I do!" Starfire insisted, trotting to keep up. "I have been most worried about him ever since I passed his door yesterday and heard strange noises emanating from his room."

"Strange noises?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of strange noises?"

Starfire touched a finger to her chin as she walked, trying to remember. "I believe it sounded like the whimpering of dogs."

Raven nodded. "Yeah, I heard that too," she told Starfire sullenly. "And the padded pacing," she added. "And the muted growling. And the horrendous shriek of claws scratching on his metal door."

The Tamaranian's face twisted in concern. "You do not suppose he is ill?"

"He's not sick Starfire," Raven assured the worried girl. "Just agitated. And anxious to be allowed out of his room again." **_Very_** _anxious_ , Raven added mentally, feeling the tug and pull of the shape-shifter's overactive emotions on her empathic senses. Beast Boy had been fiddling nervously around in his room all morning. Even sixty feet away and down the hall Raven could hear him whining and clawing at his door. Which, by the way, had _not_ made it very easy for her to meditate.

Starfire, whose room was safely out of hearing distance from the agitated shape-shifter's, was nevertheless still very worried about him. She turned and walked backwards in front of Raven. "Perhaps we should do the checking up on him, just in case," she suggested, begging Raven with her wide green eyes and her clasped hands to accompany her.

"He'll be fine," Raven stopped walking and crossed her arms. "Why are you so worried about him anyway?"

Starfire bowed her head. "I confess, I have been missing his cheerful presence and bad jokes and believe Robin may have overreacted a bit to his last prank."

"He put a snake under your pillow," Raven pointed out. "Most people would be upset about that."

The alien princess blushed. "Truthfully I have forgotten all about the incident. He meant no harm. It was only a little snake, not poisonous, and I was only frightened for a short time." Starfire looked back up at her gray-skinned companion. "Please? Can we not just check up on him for a few minutes, merely to make sure he is well?"

"Well… all right," Raven reluctantly gave in. Even knowing what had happened the last time she'd knocked on Beast Boy's door, the clawing and scratching was _really_ starting to grate on her nerves.

-TT-

It was day three of Beast Boy's punishment. Two days had passed since that fateful three-o-clock howling that had awoken Raven from her sleep and led her to knock on his door to ask just what on earth he was doing—an event Beast Boy was trying very hard to forget as he scampered up and down the bedpost in cat form.

He was actually starting to feel a little calmer now. Must have been all the exercise he'd been getting. He'd been up since two that morning, chasing his tail, running in circles, shifting rapidly from one form to another, and generally being fidgety. He must have driven Raven crazy with all the noise he'd been making, especially the howling.

The green cat flopped onto the top bunk, curling up on the soft bedcovers. Beast Boy shifted back to human form and rolled over onto his back with an exaggerated sigh.

Being constrained to the same room for a week had certainly helped him get reacquainted with it. So far he'd unearthed three sets of playing cards, a stack of vintage comic books (well-used), two golf balls, several missing socks, a hammer—where had _that_ come from he wondered—and a couple other strange odds and ends he hadn't even known existed, much less what they were doing in his room.

Too bad he'd been too fussy to enjoy them.

Beast Boy flipped himself over the side of the bunk, shifting into a chimpanzee mid-fall and catching the railing with one hand. He dangled there a few moments, then let go and plopped down onto the lower bunk.

_Three more days_ , he reminded himself, sitting back on his haunches and propping his elbows on his knees in what would've been quite a comical anthropomorphic gesture had anyone been around to see it. _Just three more days._

He stretched out on the bed, morphing into a floppy-eared terrier, and laid his head on his paws with a pitiful whine.

_So… bored…_

His nostrils twitched as the smell of lavender and incense met them and also a whiff of sunflowers and daisies.

_What's that? Is someone coming?_

The door hissed open and Beast Boy's eyes flicked over in that direction.

Oh. He shifted back to human form. "Hey Star. Hey Raven."

Starfire stepped towards him timidly. "Are you… well?" she asked.

"I'm all right," Beast Boy said, sitting up on the bed. "Just bored. Robin took the Gamestation and it's been totally lame without it."

"You poor thing," Raven said, unsympathetic. She turned her eyes to gaze about the changeling's dwelling.

"But have you not the books or the board games or some other means of recreation?" Starfire asked, slightly confused. "Surely you have had _some_ means of occupying your time."

Beast Boy didn't really want to tell her about the whole animal-instincts-gone-haywire-during-mating-season thing so he just leaned back on his hands and swung his feet back and forth. "Yeah kinda."

"Beast Boy… is your room cleaner?"

Beast Boy's face grew hot and he blushed. A small speck of lint on the carpet became the sole focus of his attention.

"Maybe," he muttered to the floor.

Raven settled her gaze on the fidgety changeling, now feeling the same worry and concern as Starfire. Beast Boy never cleaned his room. Ever.

Well, maybe he'd shift a few piles around and stuff things in the closet or under his bed when it was getting hard to maneuver… but to voluntarily tidy things up out of sheer boredom?

Unthinkable.

The girls looked at each other, then at the changeling… who was pretending they weren't even in the room as he sat on his bed with his hands in his lap, swinging his legs.

"You have tidied up your room?" Starfire asked, incredulous. "You must feel the boredom _very_ much indeed."

Beast Boy slumped over. "You have no idea…"

Raven bit her lip. She left the room, the edge of her cloak lifting briefly in the breeze of her wake. Beast Boy and Starfire's eyebrows lifted in confusion.

Raven soon returned, this time with a bowl and a long stick of incense in her hands. Without a word, she set the bowl on a table in the corner. Producing a matchbox from somewhere on her, Raven struck a match.

"Raven?" said Beast Boy, peering at her hands as they lit the incense. A heady scent filled the air. "W-what are you—?"

The sweet fragrance filled his nostrils, suddenly blanking out all of his thoughts. He sat with a dazed look on his face a few moments, breathing in the warm perfume. His expression changed. A dopey grin spread across his face. He felt strangely… calm. Whatever the fragrance was, it was having a very effective tranquilizing effect on him. His head felt heavy and the blankets on his bed looked warm and inviting.

The very next instant he was sprawled out across the sheets in cat form, purring contentedly.

Starfire gave Raven a very quizzical look.

"Lavender," she explained. "It's supposed to aid sleep and relaxation."

The alien princess looked at the sleeping green form of the cat. "It appears to work very well."

"He'll wake up when the stick burns out. We'll have to come back and replace it. Probably several times a day until his punishment is lifted."

"I see," Starfire acknowledged with a nod.

Both girls watched Beast Boy sleep for a minute.

"Should we not inform Robin of this?"

"Let's just… keep this one to ourselves, okay?" Raven told the alien princess, a nervous churning feeling in her stomach. She was not at all looking forward to the weird looks Robin and Cyborg would give her when they saw her going to Beast Boy's room so frequently.

If either of the other two boys asked, she was doing this for her own sanity.

Right.


	18. Seething

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thar be whump ahead ye landlubbers.

He should have seen the blow coming. The hard fist smashing into his face caught him off-guard and he stumbled back several feet before losing his balance completely and landing roughly on his rear, an embarrassing blunder in any fight, but even more humiliating now.

"Again Robin."

Fuming, Robin scrambled to his feet. His inner equilibrium had barely stabilized before he leapt at his adversary with an angry, frustrated growl.

His rush at the villain was doomed from the start. Slade easily side-stepped the Boy Wonder's clumsy, haphazard strikes, then countered with a single kick to his back that knocked him off his feet again, flat onto his face.

" _Again_ , Robin," Slade hissed.

Robin raised himself up onto his knees, palms resting on the floor as he breathed in heavily. Sweat dripped down his brow and the coarse, tight-fitting material of his apprentice uniform felt hot and itchy against his skin.

Slade's voice sent an equally unpleasant prickling into his chest.

"Really, I would have expected much more from you," he said, clearly displeased.

Robin gritted his teeth and said nothing, but the heat and humiliation were creeping across his face. He sounded like a student being scolded for a bad grade! Robin lifted an arm and wiped his forehead furiously.

Slade continued his lecture. "Your footwork is all off, your timing is horrendous. If this were a real fight you'd have been dead within the first five minutes."

That was a sermon just begging for a snappy retort. "Maybe you just aren't a good teacher," Robin said, shooting a furious glare in Slade's direction. He didn't care if he sounded rude. He didn't care about being respectful. Not towards this madman. Not towards Slade.

Slade paid Robin's surly tone no mind. "I think you know exactly what the problem is, Robin," he said, standing calmly with his arms crossed over his chest.

Robin bit back an angry reply. He clenched his jaws tightly, balling his hands into fists. Inwardly he was seething, not only because he resented being lectured and hated the villain with every fiber of his being… but because Slade was right. He _did_ know what the problem was.

He wasn't focusing. Plain and simple. He was too distracted by his anger, his frustration at endangering the lives of his friends, walking blindly into the villain's trap, to concentrate on what he was doing.

And Slade had taken the time to kindly point it out to him. Thank you Fate for being so cruel and making the one lesson he needed to hear come out the mouth of the person he hated most.

Robin gave an aggravated sigh and sat back on his legs.

"Yeah. I do. So what?" he said.

Slade stood stoic and motionless, seemingly unperturbed. Robin noticed with some satisfaction, though, that a flicker of irritation came into the villain's eye.

"What do you think?

Robin almost groaned. Why was Slade asking _him?_ Why didn't he just tell him outright?

But he knew the answer to that one too.

Slade was putting him in a conundrum. The villain had no intention of simply telling Robin the answer. He wanted Robin to say it. And he'd wait as long as it took until he did.

For a while Robin continued to glare at the masked madman. Slade watched him with a quiet, eerie gaze, waiting for him to respond. Finally Robin gave up and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"I should work to fix it," he muttered.

"Good boy," Slade said, eye gleaming with satisfaction.

He was smiling under that mask. Robin was sure of it.

"Now, get up," he heard the villain order. "And this time, _think_ before you act. Don't rush into your blows."

Robin glanced up. Slade had turned away from him. Robin's jaw clenched tightly. It was all he could do to stop himself from running up behind the villain and hitting him in the back.

_I hate him. I_ **_hate_ ** _him. I hate hearing his lectures._

_He's right, you know. You do need to concentrate before rushing into an attack like that._

_Oh and how am I supposed to concentrate when I'm trapped in a villain's hideout serving as his apprentice and with Slade threatening to kill my friends?_ Robin thought sarcastically, infuriated with his logical side for conceding a point to Slade.

He stayed kneeling on the floor where he was and resisted the urge to do something rash. For one thing it probably wouldn't do any good. For another, it would just make Slade angry.

His nails dug into his palms.

Well, let him get angry. He'd had enough.

"No," he said.

Slade looked over his shoulder back towards him. His eye glared dangerously.

"What was that?"

"I said no!" Robin repeated forcefully. He straightened and squared his shoulders, putting as much defiance into his voice and posture as possible. "I'm not doing this anymore Slade."

The hard edge in Slade's voice dripped with displeasure as he said, "Don't play games with me apprentice. You are _going_ to do this."

A menacing tone was in his voice, but Robin paid it no heed.

"I won't!" he yelled. His shout echoed in the vastness of the room. "I don't want you to teach me! I don't want to be your stupid apprentice! I'm not going to work for some twisted psychotic _criminal!_ " He flung the word out like a slap to the face.

_That_ got Slade angry. The villain's eye flashed and he stalked over to him. Robin tensed but before he could put up much of a fight Slade grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked him to his feet. Robin yelped and clutched at Slade's hand.

"Disobedience is not something I will tolerate in my apprentice, Robin." Slade kept his grip on Robin's hair tight as the Boy Wonder grimaced and squirmed. "And like it or not young man," Slade spat bluntly, "you _are_ my apprentice."

Robin remained stubbornly silent as Slade let go and took up his former position.

"Again."

The Boy Wonder lunged without thinking and found himself once again knocked to the floor with Slade standing over him.

"Were you even listening to me?" the villain asked incredulously.

_Apparently not, or I wouldn't be looking at the floor right now._

Robin wearily got back up, growling under his breath. He tugged at the armor around his ankles. His knees and elbows ached from being smacked against the floor. He was so tired of being knocked down over and over again. But the only way to stop his humiliation would be to listen to what Slade had told him. And obey it. And obedience was the _last_ thing Robin intended to give the criminal. He geared himself up for another short-lived attack, clenched his fists tightly…

His gaze fell across the button in Slade's hand.

Robin stopped. His eyes lingered there a moment. He quickly shifted them to his opponent's face and took a deep breath.

_As long as I'm being reckless…_

He gave an angry yell and charged, deliberately throwing a few bad punches. Slade dodged them effortlessly but Robin's attention was on the control.

He made a grab for it.

Slade did _not_ seem to like that at all. He seized Robin's wrist and turned him around, twisting his arm around backwards behind his head.

"Aaah!" Robin cried.

"Does that hurt Robin?" Slade taunted.

Robin bit his lip. The strain on his arm was uncomfortably painful. He felt like his bones would snap any minute.

Slade's voice became deadly serious. "Good. Maybe the pain will teach you not to try that again," he said.

He shoved the Boy Wonder away. Robin stumbled a little but managed to regain his balance this time. He rubbed his shoulder furiously, and then faced Slade.

Not waiting for the villain to tell him to, he attacked. He made a few futile punches and kicks, ducked under a heavy-handed strike from Slade. Then he grabbed for the control.

Slade knocked him to the ground.

He got back up. He repeated the attempt.

Slade backhanded Robin across the room. For what had to be the hundredth time that day, face met floor with a cold hard _smack!_

Robin rubbed his cheek as he rose to his feet and gave Slade an ugly, uncooperative glare.

Now Slade was the one who was seething. He returned Robin's unfriendly gaze for a tense, uncertain moment. All of a sudden though, his eye lit with an evil amusement. His stance relaxed and his expression took on a calm, self-assured confidence.

Robin became immediately edgy. He watched the villain with a cautious eye, wary and on guard. It was never a good thing when Slade was cocky. It was almost worse than when he was angry.

Slade lifted his left hand, the hand that held the control in it.

"You want this?" he sneered.

To Robin's utter astonishment the villain unstrapped the control from his wrist, bent down, and put it on the floor between them.

"Well then…" he continued, backing away. "Come take it."

Robin stared at Slade with wide eyes. Was he serious?

It couldn't be that easy. There had to be some kind of trick.

Hesitantly Robin took a cautious, experimental step forward. His footstep echoed in the hollow empty space. He glanced up towards Slade.

The villain didn't move.

Robin dove for the control.

_POW!_

The blow sent him flying. He landed on his back and skidded several feet. The metal of his uniform made a horrendous shrieking against the floor before he came to a rest. Robin jerked his head up.

"Oh. I forget to mention..." Slade said. His eye shone wickedly. "You'll have to go through me to get it."

"Yeah," Robin acknowledged, mouth tightening into a grim line. "I thought so."

He stood carefully to his feet, watching Slade from the corner of his eye.

When the villain charged, he was ready.

He back flipped out of the way of Slade's fist. His feet touched the floor, knees bent, muscles coiled. He snapped back like a spring for a punch at Slade's head. Slade caught his fist and, using the boy's momentum against him, swung him around and flung him off into the empty space. His head banged against the floor as he landed among the gears of the chamber. Dizzily, he touched a hand to the place where a lump was already starting to form.

"Better Robin," he heard Slade saying. "But you'll have to do better than that if you hope to get that control."

Robin's blood boiled. He somersaulted into a standing position, regained his footing, shifted his balance in preparation for an attack—

_Wait!_ his practical side shouted.

Robin paused. His logic was kicking his impulsiveness firmly out of the driver's seat, reminding him of how little good it had done him up to that point.

_Calm down_ , it told him. _Focus._

Focus. He had to focus. It was the only way to win. The only way to beat Slade and maybe, just maybe, save his friends.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. He exhaled slowly, visualizing the anger, the distractions, and the pain leaving his body and floating away.

He sensed movement behind him.

His eyes popped open in alarm; he whirled around and just barely jerked himself out of the way of Slade's oncoming fist.

Slade swung around to face him.

The two combatants circled each other. Robin stole a glance down at the spot where the control was laying. Slade took advantage of the distraction.

He swung. Robin ducked. He slid underneath Slade between the villain's legs and pushed up to a standing position behind him.

Then he attacked. A careful, coordinated attack that landed a very satisfying kick to Slade's face. Slade grunted and stumbled back. He recovered and was soon on the offensive. Robin's acrobatic skills came in handy as he flipped and backpedaled to avoid the strikes.

The fight continued. The gears rumbled in the background as the combatants kicked and punched, ducked and dodged, growled and groaned in a forceful systematic mêlée that ranged up and down the corners of the room, drawing steadily closer towards the place where lay the control—and Robin's freedom.

The Boy Wonder was calm and focused. He waited for an opening to make his move. They were close now. The chances were slim, but all he needed was a shot. One split-second moment of distraction, a desperate snatch, and he could make it. Or so he thought.

His chance came when Slade aimed a heavy punch at his chest.

Robin hit the floor.

The punch went wide, and Slade tripped over him when he tried to recover. Robin had sprung up before the masked madman had even hit the floor.

He ran for it.

His metal boots pounded the floor with every step. His eyes were fixed on the button, on the trigger that held his friend's very lives in the balance.

He reached out; his hand was on it for one brief, glorious moment before—

"Guhh—!"

Slade seized him from behind, right arm snaking firmly around his throat. Robin felt his breathing immediately restricted. He held on to the control even as he was pulled backwards, his free hand tugging desperately at the arm around his neck.

It was no use. He couldn't break Slade's grip.

The villain leaned back, holding the Boy Wonder tightly. Robin choked and sputtered, balancing precariously on his tiptoes to try and ease the pressure on his throat.

His vision swam. When he felt as though he would black out—

Slade relaxed his grip.

Robin's air supply slowly returned to him. He coughed and gasped, gulping in huge amounts of precious air.

As his breathing slowly returned to normal, his spirits sank lifeless with despair.

He had been so close.

_So close…_

Slade easily, almost casually, took the control from his hand and Robin went limp in his grasp, wilting in anguish.

_I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry._

He concentrated on his breathing even as the hopelessness was tearing up his insides. He concentrated on pushing back from the vice-like grip that threatened to choke him. He concentrated on whatever he could so the moisture stinging his eyes wouldn't overflow down onto his face.

_I'm not, I'm not_ —

He wasn't. He couldn't. Not in front of… him.

Slade leaned in closer. The breath caught in Robin's throat as he felt the warmth of the villain's breath in his ear.

" _Excellent_ Robin," Slade whispered.

His voice sent cold shivers splintering down Robin's spine.

"That was _much_ better."

Slade released him.

He dropped numbly to the floor, trembling.

He'd never really had a chance to escape. Slade had been toying with him the whole time.

It was only a ploy to get him to do what the villain said to do. A device to make him listen and learn.

It was a trick. Just like the chronotron detonator.

And he'd fallen for it.

Robin squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to block out the fear, the failure, the self-loathing.

He couldn't block out the shame, though. It pressed him down like a deadweight, almost to the floor.

_I should have known. I should have… I hate myself._

Slade's voice floated lazily above him. "You did well today Robin. A few more days of training and you'll be ready for your first assignment."

_My first assignment…_ Robin thought weakly. He wondered what it would be. What would he have to do? Who would he have to fight? Would Slade make him fight the Titans? Would he make him hurt—?

No. He didn't want to think about that. Not now.

He breathed in awkwardly, hugging himself like a child.

"You can go back to your room now."

Mechanically, he got to his feet, willing himself to walk slowly towards the door. Every limb was shaking as he made his way through into the hallway beyond.

_Star… please… someone… anyone… find me…_

* * *


	19. Connection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sfjkh I kinda hate this chapter reading back over it but what can ya do.

This was really, very annoying.

Raven stalked through the hallways of Titans Tower with a single goal in mind:

Find Robin and chew him out for disrupting her meditation.

A small bottle of sleeping pills was clutched in her hand. Those were for the Titans' leader as well. Last night his dreams had been seeping into her mind while she was trying to sleep.

It wasn't the first time that had happened. Raven often found herself sharing the dreams of the other Titans. Most of the time she just blocked them out. Occasionally though, there were some dreams—nightmares actually—that were too strong to ignore, and she ended up… seeing things. Her friends' worst fears. Their secret thoughts.

She never said anything about it in the morning. She respected the privacy of others as much as she valued her own. And normally with a little meditation she was able to purge the traces from her mind and forget all about it.

Which is what she'd been _trying_ to do that morning, only Robin's overactive emotions kept coming through their new-found mental bond and breaking her concentration.

Raven sighed heavily. She could really do without it. Honestly, it was only making things more complicated.

She suspected it had formed the night she'd entered his mind. Probably when she'd been snapped back to her body after getting punched in the face, through Robin, by what the half-crazy Boy Wonder _thought_ was Slade. Turns out it was a hallucination.

Thanks a lot Robin, maybe if she'd known she would've let him run around and hurt himself.

But no, she had to go and do the practical thing and try to calm him down and now pieces of her mind were probably stuck somewhere in his brain. Not to mention she'd glimpsed certain, ah… memories that Robin would have most likely preferred her not to see.

Raven's steps slowed a little uncomfortably. A flash of remembrance came to her, a flash of two figures falling against a brightly lit backdrop. Robin's parents.

It was… kind of awkward knowing about what happened to them. They hadn't talked about it. Raven felt guilty for even having seen it. It was a really personal secret, and heaven knew Raven understood wanting to keep something like that hidden. That was why, out of respect for his privacy she hadn't told the other Titans about it. She didn't even mention it to the Boy Wonder himself. Robin didn't like to talk about it, she wouldn't press him. It was an unspoken agreement between the two.

It made her see him a little differently though. She'd glimpsed his weak and vulnerable side, a side he usually only showed to Starfire, if she was lucky.

And speaking of Starfire…

Although it was very tempting to tease him about his feelings for the redhead (which, along with all his other emotions, she could sense more acutely nowadays), Raven refrained. Hard to do considering those frustrating moments where she just wanted to shout some variant of "Ask her already, you idiot!" at him.

She hadn't exactly been too thrilled to discover her heightened empathic "awareness" of Robin's emotional state flowed partly both ways, either. As if having the other three bugging her to spend time socializing with them wasn't bad enough, now she had Robin, who of all people should have been the _most_ respectful of her privacy, knocking on her door at random hours of the day, asking if her if she was all right, if she wanted to "talk", if there was something bothering her he needed to know about, etc. etc. Not as often as the others did, of course, but still far too much for her liking. It was a little disappointing. Before the "dust incident" she could always count on Robin to be the one to respect her privacy and leave her alone.

A minor annoyance. One she could probably get used to over time.

But by Azar if he had another nightmare like last night's—

Raven finally came upon the Titans' leader in the gym, where he was busy hitting one of the punching bags over and over again. He was drenched in sweat and panting hard—apparently he'd been at it for a while.

Raven paused in the doorway for a moment, watching him.

Funny, he'd always seemed like an older family member to her. Now all of a sudden… he looked younger.

Raven sighed and entered the room. When Robin stopped to catch his breath she walked up to him and deftly handed him the pills.

"Here."

He looked at them uncomprehendingly a moment. His masked eyes gazed up at her strangely.

"What are these for?" he asked her.

"You've been having nightmares," she told him bluntly. "Loud ones." she added. She turned from him and, putting up her hood, sauntered out of the gym, leaving him staring at the bottle in his hand in quiet uncertainty.


	20. Sister Talk

There was a strange, absent-minded look on Starfire's face, Raven noticed as she passed the alien princess on her way to her room. A little grumpy from too little sleep and too much exposure to Beast Boy's repertoire of 'comedic talent' that morning, she didn't really pay it any mind.

"Morning Starfire," she mumbled.

Starfire started a little, jarred out of her own thoughts by Raven's greeting. "Oh! Good morning Raven," she replied.

"Something on your mind?" Raven asked as she reached the safe haven of her doorway.

Starfire shook her head. "It is nothing."

Raven could sense it was slightly more than nothing, but didn't comment. She punched the button to her door and watched it slide open. Just as she was about to step inside, she hesitated and looked back over her shoulder. Starfire was still there, lingering and looking uncertainly at her empathic friend, hands clasped shyly in front of her.

"Do you… need something?"

The Tamaranian bit her lip, then said, "May I… talk with you Raven?"

Raven studied her friend quietly, weighing the options. She wasn't really in the mood to "talk"… but something in Starfire's body posture and wide, sad green eyes told her the girl needed it. Raven's empathic senses were also picking up the small levels of distress and distraction in Starfire's normally cheerful demeanor.

_Something's bothering her_ , thought Raven. _And I wouldn't be a very good friend if I didn't at least try to find out what._ It felt serious. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to blow over without being unloaded upon a listening ear first.

And it seemed Starfire wanted her to be that ear.

A long moment of silence passed between the two girls.

"Sure," Raven said finally, turning to go into her room.

A look of relief and happiness passed over Starfire's face as she followed her friend.

The drapes were pulled back today. A bit of pale sunlight streamed in through the windows, making the empath's dwelling look _slightly_ less gloomy than normal. There were several books and candles arranged in a circle on the floor, but Raven waved her hand in their direction, and black energy enveloped the objects, lifting them away and settling them neatly on her shelves.

"Sorry about the mess," Raven said. "You can sit if you want," she said, indicating her bed.

The Tamaranian shook her head. "I prefer to remain standing."

Raven sat on the bed herself, folding her legs and absentmindedly reaching for one of her books. "So… what did you want to talk about?" she asked, thumbing through the pages.

Starfire fidgeted a little, dropping her eyes to floor and twisting a strand of her crimson hair around in her hands. "I… need to ask you a question Raven."

Raven kept her ears open and her eyes on the page. "Okay. What kind of question?"

The Tamaranian was quiet for a moment, contemplating something, then said, "Why does Blackfire hate me so much?"

Raven stopped flipping through the pages. "Um…" She chewed on her tongue, glancing up at Starfire. She hadn't really expected a question like that. "I'm not really sure how to answer that," she said. "I can't speak for your sister."

Starfire looked crestfallen.

_Great, now I've gone and upset her. Well done Raven._ Raven fiddled with the hem of her cloak, mentally berating herself and almost missed it when Starfire spoke again.

"Could it have been, perhaps… something I did?" the alien princess asked uncertainly.

Raven felt a flicker of anger burning in her heart. "Blackfire's reasons are her own, Starfire," she told the alien princess sternly, putting down her book. "And you had nothing to do with it."

"But..." Starfire protested. "I… _was_ usually the favorite," she told Raven softly. "I received a great deal of affection from—"

"Even so," Raven interrupted, "that doesn't justify Blackfire's reaction."

"Could… could she have been jealous of me?" Starfire looked up at her with her wide, despondent emerald eyes. "Is that the reason why she treats me the way she does?"

"It's a reason," Raven said. "Not an excuse."

Starfire's expression was one of utter bewilderment.

"But then why—?"

"People find all sorts of reasons not to like each other, Starfire. Some of them just don't make any sense," Raven said, picking up her book again. "And sometimes it's just easier to hold a grudge than to work through your issues with each other. Maybe you did get more attention. Maybe Blackfire does resent you for it. But _you_ aren't responsible for that," she told Starfire firmly. "You're only responsible for _your_ actions towards her. And if I know anything about you, I know you'd never say or do anything to deliberately hurt your sister."

After quietly taking in Raven's words, Starfire sighed and sat down on bed. "That is true," she admitted. "Even knowing some of the bad things she has done… I cannot bring myself to hate her, Raven. Is that foolish?"

Raven shook her head. "No Starfire. It's not foolish at all." The empath's hands brushed over the open pages of the book. Speaking from unpleasant experience, she continued, "Hatred… is a powerful emotion. And it can destroy you if you hold onto it for too long." Raven lowered her gaze somberly. "I think that's what happened to Blackfire."

The Tamaranian pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees. "I have always looked up to her. I… admired her," Starfire confessed wistfully. "She was always so much better at things than I was. I would follow her around, hoping she would teach me some of things she had learned… show me some of the discoveries she had made... She laughed at me sometimes and told me I was silly, but there were times, I believe, when she genuinely enjoyed answering my questions." Starfire tucked her chin into her knees and mumbled her next sentence into her arms. "I miss having someone to look up to like that."

She fell quiet.

Raven watched the alien princess stare off into space for a minute or two.

"Well…" she began, smiling a little when Starfire looked up at her. "I might not always be available to answer your questions… but if you ever need to just... _talk_ to someone, you can always come to me."

Starfire's expression visibly brightened. "Oh… thank you Raven! That is most reassuring to know."

Seeing Starfire smiling again warmed Raven's heart. Not to mention put her empathic senses more at ease. "You're welcome," she said.

Starfire stood up, seemingly to leave. When, after several seconds she hadn't moved and began nervously playing with her hair again, Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something else?"

"I am… worried about Robin," Starfire confessed, brushing the lock she'd been playing with behind her shoulder and sitting back down again.

_Since when are you_ ** _not_** _worried about Robin?_ That was pretty much a given. Then again, Robin _was_ the most unstable and unpredictable out of all of them. "More so than usual I take it?" Raven guessed.

"He has not been the same since our battle with Cinderblock last week," Starfire explained. "He has been… distant."

Oh. That. Call it a case of exceedingly poor timing and location. The battle in question had been at the amusement park, right when the circus had come to town. Knowing more than she cared to about Robin's... _issues_ in that area, Raven understood why he'd gone and withdrawn from everyone for a while. But how on earth was she going to explain it to Starfire? As far as she knew, Robin hadn't told her about his past yet. And Raven wasn't going to divulge the information if the Boy Wonder refused to offer it himself.

She settled for the simplistic approach.

"He's just upset Starfire. The circus holds bad memories for him."

"I see." The Tamaranian's emerald eyes dropped to her lap for a moment then rose back up to make eye contact with her friend. She was hesitant, unsure, as she spoke her next sentence. "Raven?" she said. "You… you are aware of the story of Robin's past, are you not?"

"Starfire," Raven said, slightly scolding, eyes narrowed and firm. "You know I'm not going to disrespect Robin's privacy by telling you about his past."

The redhead immediately ducked her head in shame. "Of course," she mumbled. "It is just hard… wanting to help him, but not knowing what is wrong."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Try being able to sense all of his obsessions and neuroses in your head sometime."

Starfire giggled. "I have often wondered, how exactly do your 'empathic senses' work?" she asked.

"I sort of just… _feel_ the emotions of others… it's not very easy to explain."

"Try," Starfire pressed, an eager look in her eyes.

Raven spent the next five minutes explaining to her alien friend exactly how empathy worked. Somehow from there, the topic shifted to the time they had spent in each other's bodies and then to the completely unrelated subject of why aluminum foil was not actually edible. By the time their conversation wound down, it was mid-morning and Raven was starting to develop a headache from putting off her daily meditation.

"I thank you again for allowing me to have 'the talk' with you," Starfire said, getting off the bed.

"No problem," Raven told her, dropping her attention to the book in her lap.

Starfire made her way over to the door. About halfway there, she hesitated, turned, and said, "Raven?"

"Mmm?"

"You are a much better sister than Blackfire."

Raven suddenly found herself unable to read a word. Her throat seemed inexplicably tight and it took a while before she was able to swallow.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You are most welcome," Starfire chirped with a warm smile before stepping out through the door.

Her cheeks were warming up. Raven rubbed a hand against her face and watched as the door slid shut behind her friend.


	21. A Shape-Shifter Awakens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a follow-up to the "Animal Attraction" two-parter. Because Beast Boy is precious and I love him.

Raven waited apprehensively outside Beast Boy's door as Robin knocked on it. Some time ago she had furtively made one last trip to the changeling's room to remove the incense and the bowl from where they had been sitting on a dresser for the past three days.

That had been at eight-o-clock in the morning. It was now twelve-o-clock in the afternoon.

Needless to say, she'd been hoping the effects would have worn off by now. She was beginning to worry that lighting three days' worth of tranquilizing incense in his room had somehow caused the changeling harm.

_Calm down_ , the logical part of her brain kept telling her. _It's a fair-sized room. It'll take a while for the scent to ventilate out._

A different part of her brain kept asking her why she was so worried about _Beast Boy_ of all people but she pointedly ignored that part.

She sighed. She just wanted things to be back to normal. She'd actually been starting to miss the little green shape-shifter.

That morning, as the minutes had gone by with no sign of Beast Boy emerging from his room and eagerly taking advantage of his newfound freedom, Raven had grown increasingly more nervous. When Robin had approached the other Titans eating lunch at the table to let them know he was going to tell Beast Boy his punishment had been lifted, Raven had quickly volunteered to come with him. Robin's brow had lifted a little in surprise, but he hadn't commented.

The Titans' leader rapped on the door to Beast Boy's room.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"Beast Boy," he called, "you can come out now."

Surprisingly there was no response. Robin tried again.

_Tap! Tap!_

"Beast Boy?"

Again, nothing followed the Boy Wonder's call.

Raven's stance shifted underneath her cloak. "Maybe… he's still asleep," she ventured uncertainly.

Robin shook his head. "I would have thought he'd be eager to be out of his room by now. And even for Beast Boy… twelve-o-clock is pushing it." He turned a questioning look on her. "How would you know that he's still asleep?"

A rush of sudden heat came to her face. She shrunk into her cloak. Her eyes narrowed in embarrassed infuriation and beads of moisture started to line her forehead. "Because I've been lighting incense in his room for the past three days to _make_ him fall asleep," she muttered.

Robin raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

"What?" she growled, glaring irritably.

Robin blinked and turned back towards the door. "So that's what that faint smell of lavender is…"

Raven refused to comment and fiddled with the inside of her cape as Robin lifted up his hand to try knocking again.

_Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"Beast Boy!"

From behind the door there came a slight shuffling sound. Then, all of a sudden, the door blew open to reveal a very enthusiastic Beast Boy, grinning fervently and wide eyes lit up like it was Christmas.

"SWEET FREEDOM! HA HA!" he shouted before taking off down the hallway towards the main room.

The echoes of his loud cries of, "YES! YES!" and something along the lines of "Gamestation, here I come!" met their ears. Or perhaps he'd said something about payback pranks. It was too distant to tell.

"Well… he recovered quickly…" Robin commented aloud.

"I'll be in my room," Raven said briefly, before turning on her heel and heading away.

-TT-

The door _wooshed!_ behind Cyborg as he stepped into the hallway, the human side of his face sweating and a towel over his shoulder. He spotted Beast Boy standing in the hallway and his face lit up with a grin.

"Hey man! Glad you're finally out and about. You ready for a little Gamestation death match?"

The changeling pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shh!"

The question marks went up over Cyborg's head. Beast Boy stood motionless, head cocked at a peculiar angle and ears perked up. "Do you hear that?" the shape-shifter asked.

Cyborg tilted his head and listened. From somewhere above them, there came a faint dripping sound, like a leaky faucet. "Yeah," he acknowledged.

"What d'you think it is?"

"I'll check and see."

It sounded like it was coming from the air vent. Cyborg grabbed a stool from a nearby broom closet, set it against the wall, then stepped up on it to have a look. He carefully pried off the grating, then peered into the darkness of the shaft.

_SPLASH!_

A rush of ice-cold water smacked him hard in the face like a two-ton pile of bricks. Cyborg's eyes widened in shock and he could only cough and sputter as the freezing liquid dripped down his metal body.

"BEAST BOY!" he shouted as soon as he'd recovered from the initial shock.

From somewhere behind him he could hear the changeling's laughter and footsteps fading away.

-TT-

Beast Boy bit his tongue in intense concentration as he fiddled with the inside of his communicator. Every now and then he glanced down at a large yellow-cover book sitting next to him on the bed.

He was trying to modify it to pick up radio signals. Something he'd thought up doing when he was bored the first day of his punishment. In the middle of his technical experimenting he remembered there was something else he wanted to do with the device, and shuffled through a red-covered spiral notebook beside him, in which he'd written a list of things to do once he was freed from his confinement.

"Play video games… check. Run around the obstacle course… check. Make up for week of missing pranks on Cyborg… check. Oh! There it is!"

He picked up the communicator and was about to flip it open when it suddenly buzzed in his hand. Beast Boy yelped and almost dropped it, fumbling with it in startled hands. Curious, he pressed the button to talk.

"Hello?"

"Beast Boy." It was Raven. "Get up here for a second."

"Oh…kay… any reason why?"

"Something about Starfire wanting you to make her laugh," the empath's voice told him. "Don't ask, just come to the common room." she added.

-TT-

"My… precious…" Beast Boy hissed in a raspy voice, stroking a golden ring in his hands.

Starfire giggled and clapped her hands. "Oh Beast Boy, that was a wonderful impression!" she exclaimed happily.

Beast Boy grinned and straightened up proudly.

"If you think that's impressive, wait'll you see me recite all six Star Wars movies complete with sound effects and lightsaber battles!"

Raven shook her head tiredly. "You are such a nerd."

-TT-

"For the last bloody time…" Argent's irritated voice said over the communicator. "I live in Auckland, not Wellington, I've never _met_ Peter Jackson and I certainly haven't got Christopher Lee's autograph."

"Well…" Beast Boy's face scrunched up in concentration a minute. "How about Ian Mckellen's then? No wait—John Rhys Davis! How about his autograph? Can you get that one for me? C'mon they've gotta still be down there shooting pickups or something."

-TT-

Ears ringing after a string of rather colorful British profanities had been tossed at his head, Beast Boy stumbled into the main room with his red notebook clutched in one hand and rubbing the inside of his eardrums with the other. He plopped himself down Indian-style on the floor, flipped open the notebook, and hastily scribbled over one of the items on his list. He looked up and noticed that Raven was floating in the air nearby.

"Hey Raven?"

"Mmm?"

"Never ask Argent any Lord of the Rings related favors. She hates that."

Raven's eyebrow raised curiously, but she didn't comment. She closed her eyes and went back to meditating. Beast Boy sat back on his hands and watched her bob up and down for a minute. A grin spread across his face.

"You missed me," he stated.

Though he couldn't see it, a smile was playing at the corner of her lips. "Mm-hmm," she acknowledged, nodding her head slightly.

"Hey, um…" Beast Boy started, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks for… you know… making me sleep through the rest of my grounding… and stuff."

"You're welcome." Raven replied, not bothering to hide the contentment in her voice.

Normality was so refreshing.

* * *


	22. Deflated

His blood was pumping, the rush of adrenaline filling him with a euphoric thrill. Three training drones swooped down at him and with a quick dodge and a blast from his sonic canon he made short work of them. A fourth buzzed him from behind. He whirled and sent a metal fist slamming into it.

_Crunch!_

The drone flew back from the force of his punch, making a loud and magnificent clatter against the far wall. A wide, exhilarated smile spread over Cyborg's face. He straightened upright, breathing heavily, his sweat leaving cool trails down his skin.

He loved this feeling. It made him feel alive.

It made him feel human.

He stepped over to the side, grabbed a towel, and rubbed the perspiration off his face. For good measure he patted his neck dry before wiping his hands on the towel and tossing it away. The endorphins from his workout flowed through him, putting him in a very good mood.

He'd finished the exercise in twenty-three seconds today. A new record.

_Calls for a celebration_ , he decided. Taking one final, satisfied look around the gym, he sauntered out.

-TT-

A few minutes later he found Beast Boy exactly where he was expecting to; in the main room, in front of the TV, flipping through channels with a board expression on his face.

Grinning, the cybernetic teen walked up. "Yo BB!"

The shape-shifter straightened and twisted around to face him. "Yeah Cy?"

Cyborg gestured over his shoulder. "Get your green butt in the T-Car. We're goin' for a little drive."

Beast Boy's attention perked up as he hopped up off the couch and followed his friend towards the Tower's elevator. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"To pick up a copy of Mega Monkeys 6."

The changeling's eyes lit up. "Dude, seriously?! AWESOME!" Beast Boy eagerly trotted alongside his half-robotic companion as they made their way down to the garage. As Cyborg suspected the revelation soon had Beast Boy dissolving into an unintelligible mass of fanboyish flailing about how awesome Mega Monkeys 6 was and how he was _totally_ going to kick Cyborg's rear at it once they got it home.

To which Cyborg replied, "You wanna _bet_ on that grass stain?" before the two boys began ribbing each other about their individual video game skills.

-TT-

The good-natured teasing continued all the way to the Jump City Mall and the electronics store where Cyborg and Beast Boy had to elbow their way past several other eager teenage boys seeking to add the latest installment of Mega Monkeys to their video game collection. It took a couple shape-shifts on Beast Boy's part and Cyborg throwing the changeling towards the shelves in rolled-up armadillo form for them to procure their copy, but once it was bought and paid for and swinging in a bag they decided it was well worth it and went right back to heckling each other about just who was going to own all before the day was through.

Throughout the whole process Cyborg was laughing and grinning and generally enjoying himself. Why not, after all? He was a teenage boy with super strength and a high-tech laser for an arm, he'd just set a new record in the gym, he was out with his best friend, and they had just scored a copy of the hottest new video game in existence. He was caught up in the rush and thrill of life like a twig being swept down a fast moving stream. The loud chatter of the mall filled his ears. Beast Boy's excited ramblings floated all around him as the green shape-shifted danced around him like a leaf carried by the turbulent eddies.

Above all this, he suddenly heard the voices of two teenage girls. For a moment or two he was confused as to why his ears were picking out their conversation out of the hundreds that were swirling around him. Then it dawned on him that the sixteen year-old blonde and fifteen-year-old brunette were talking about the Titans. He'd caught his name as an attention-capturing buzzword just before he heard them say:

"Ugh, why is that guy even on their team?"

"I know. He's such a loser."

And just like that, the good feeling evaporated.

The rush and thrill slugged to a messy stop. He sagged. All his confidence and exhilaration was gone like the air from a balloon.

He knew he shouldn't be bothered. They were just words, like Beast Boy's playful jabs, and probably said more in ignorance than actual dislike. They shouldn't hurt.

But they did. He was bothered. And more than that…

He was deflated.

His shoulders slumped glumly.

Beast Boy noticed the sudden change in his friend's mood almost immediately. The cheerful grin disappeared from his face. Concerned look in his eyes, he said, "Dude, what—?"

"His powers aren't even all that great compared to the rest of them," the brunette could be heard saying before the changeling could finish his question.

Shooting a glare at the receding backs of the two girls, Beast Boy jumped to assure the downcast cyborg, "Don't listen to them Cy. They don't know what they're talking about."

Cyborg gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah… I know," he managed.

"I mean, they don't even know you!" Beast Boy continued, making agitated gestures with his hands. "If they got a chance to see you in action I betcha they'd eat their words in a second." The young Titan was almost furious by now. "I outta walk right up to them and—"

"It's cool B," Cyborg tried to say, not really eager for any kind of confrontation.

Beast Boy wasn't listening.

"—limb from limb and if they still don't take it back I'm gonna—" He made a motion to charge the girls.

A small smile returned to Cyborg's face as he grabbed Beast Boy's shoulder to restrain him. "Okay B! Take it easy!"

With some effort, the changeling managed to calm himself down a bit. "Yeah, okay," he mumbled. "But they still shouldn't have said it…"

"I know," Cyborg acknowledged. "I know," he said again, softer, watching the rapidly vanishing figures of the two girls fading into the distance.

After a second or two, Beast Boy looked up.

"So… I guess that means I _can't_ turn into a tiger and scare the living daylights out of them?"

A chuckle escaped from Cyborg's throat. "Nah. Let's just go home and break in our new game."

The changeling nodded as the two resumed their walking. "Yeah… who cares what they think anyway? _I_ know how cool you are."

Cyborg's steps slowed a little, allowing Beast Boy to overtake and pass him. He didn't say it out loud, but that one sentence completely reversed the effects of the previous three. He felt reinvigorated, restored.

He felt alive again.

_Thanks B,_ he said mentally, as he and the shape-shifter made their way home.

* * *


	23. Baby Blues

A small red button next to his left arm blinked slowly on and off, indicating that no one had picked up the other end of the line yet. Red Star tapped the control panel impatiently as he waited for someone to answer his call. The soft bluish glow of the mainframe computer screen flickered across his face and the room was still and quiet.

Up until he heard a faint crashing noise from behind him. This was followed by the sound of a baby wailing. Loudly.

"Flash!" Jinx's irritated voice could be heard saying.

Red Star chuckled. They hadn't expected their little guest to be so much trouble, but he had to admit, it was… kind of funny watching the pink-haired sorceress fall to pieces while the pint-sized infant demolished the Tower around them.

Though admittedly it made it very difficult for the Honorary Titans to track down who the kid belonged to. Which was why, at this moment, he was calling for reinforcements.

Red Star snapped to attention as the screen flickered to life at last. After a moment or two of static, the screen cleared to reveal a view of Titans Tower (West), and its current occupant.

"Greetings comrade Cyborg." Red Star said with a smile.

"Hey man!" exclaimed the cybernetic teen. "Sorry I didn't answer earlier. It's been…"—here Cyborg looked off to the side—"…a little crazy around here."

The red-haired Russian nodded. It had been pretty crazy everywhere actually, what with a pesky world-wide coalition of villains to deal with and the Titans and Honorary Titans scattered here and there throughout the globe. That was the reason he was currently with the Titans North actually; some low-life had made the mistake of trying to set off a bomb in the middle of the Siberian wilderness, right next Red Star's home.

Red Star had promptly informed the criminal that he was an idiot, proceeded to punch his lights out, and then called for assistance from Titans North. He had then accompanied the team on one of _their_ missions to dismantle another villain's secret science lab… where they had picked up their tiny new friend.

Red Star leaned over and squinted into the background of the screen. "Is… Pantha there?" he inquired. "I have a favor to ask."

Cyborg opened his mouth and lifted a hand to reply—

—and was promptly shoved out of frame by Pantha herself.

_Crash!_

"Ow…"

"Yes Leonid, what is it?" Pantha asked with a wide smile that showed her slightly pointed teeth.

The Russian scratched an imaginary itch on his palm. "Ah, I was wondering Pantha…" A slight nervousness churned his stomach. He didn't know how she was going to react to his… rather unusual request. He looked up at her. "Would you mind doing a little babysitting this afternoon?"

The young woman's brows crinkled underneath her mask. "Babysitting?" she repeated.

Her tone wasn't _quite_ disgust but Red Star ducked his gaze back down anyway. "Er, yes," he managed. "I know you don't like it but… The Titans North and I have recently come into custody of a youngster we liberated from Dr. Angard Anguish's lab. We are trying to figure out who he belongs to, however…" He couldn't manage to suppress a small laugh. "…he is proving very difficult to handle. Jinx is beginning to lose her sanity."

"Sounds like fun," Pantha joked. The smile dropped from her face and she sighed. "Isn't there anyone _else_ you can dump the kid with? You know how my last 'babysitting job' went."

"I am sorry. I would not ask you if there were no other recourse. Everyone is already busy with other missions and I did not know who else to call…" Red Star explained sheepishly. He tilted his head a little. "And I thought you handled the Tyke Titans very well, Pantha."

She gave him a hard look. "Teether chewed up three sofa cushions and I had a headache from Timmy's screaming for a week. It was _muy_ unpleasant."

"Even so."

"Oigh." Pantha sighed again, clearly uncomfortable. She sat herself down in a chair in front of the screen and resigned herself to her fate. "What kind of babysitting job is this gonna be anyhow?" she asked.

"It would only be for a few hours," Red Star assured her. "Just long enough for us to find his parents or guardians. If it is all right with comrade Cyborg of course," he added quickly.

Cyborg shuffled back into frame, rubbing his head. "Yeah, it's cool. We're looking after the Terrible Threesome for Raven today anyway."

The look on Pantha's face was one of abject horror. Apparently she had not been informed of that little detail.

"We are?" she asked, blanching.

Red Star chuckled involuntarily. She glared at him through the screen but he gave her a warm smile. "You do not need to worry, Pantha. You are good with children. I am sure you and Cyborg will be able to handle all four of your charges with little difficulty."

A touch of red came into her cheeks. "Er… thanks… I guess," she mumbled.

"I will be over with Kid Flash and Jinx to drop off the infant in a few hours," Red Star told both of them. "See you then?"

"No problem man!" Cyborg said brightly.

"Yeah… see you then," Pantha muttered.

Red Star punched the button to end the transmission and the screen clicked off with a quiet flick.

Noticing how quiet it had become, he wondered what had happened with Kid Flash, Jinx, and the baby.

His questions were answered when all three parties entered room, Jinx in the lead, Kid Flash trailing behind, and the baby clinging desperately to the speedster's leg. Kid Flash seemed unfazed by the toddler's leech-like grip around his ankle. The sorceress was slightly more frazzled.

" _Please_ tell me you found someone to take the kid." Jinx's face was flustered and her eyes had a desperate look in them.

"Pantha will look after him."

"Thank you!" Jinx exclaimed, throwing her hands up in relief.

Kid Flash cocked a curious eyebrow. "I thought Pantha hated kids."

Red Star swiveled in his chair to face them. "No," he corrected. "I believe she just does not like babysitting them."

"Ah," the speedster acknowledged.

They fell silent. To their right, Jinx wearily rubbed her temple. At their feet, the baby gurgled.

"So… what's the deal with you two anyway?" Kid Flash asked abruptly.

Red Star tilted his head in confusion. "The deal?"

"You and Pantha," Flash clarified. "Are you an item or what?"

The Russian felt a slight flush creep across his cheeks. "I am not sure that I understand…"

"He means," Jinx cut in, "do you like her?"

Red Star deliberately looked off into space and avoided eye contact. "I am fond of her… brusque personality, yes," he managed.

"Great. Second question:" Here the speedster bent down and picked up the toddler, hoisting the pint-sized superhumanoid in his arms. "Are you sure she can handle this guy? I mean, I'm the fastest boy alive and I can barely keep up with him."

"Because you have a short attention span and keep wandering off to do something else when you're _supposed_ to be watching the baby," Jinx grumbled irritably.

Kid Flash blinked in surprise and embarrassment. "Oh. Sorry Jinx," he apologized.

Red Star waved off the speedster's concern with a nonchalant motion. "Pantha is good with children. I am sure she will be fine."

-TT-

"For the last time, I'm _not_ reading 'Little Mandy and the Terrible Teacher' again."

Timmy's face scrunched up and his eyes watered. Knowing what was coming Pantha groaned and mentally slapped herself.

"WANT STORY NOW!" Timmy screamed.

"All right!" Pantha relented, and yanked the book from the youngster's hands. She dropped roughly to her haunches and cracked open the thin covers. Timmy eagerly sat down in front of her, clutching his precious blanket close. Teether, who was sitting nearby, clapped his hands excitedly.

_This is ridiculous_ , Pantha thought as she cleared her throat and began reading aloud Little Mandy's tale. _I should be out helping the Titans catch villains. I should be trying to track down the Wildebeest Society. Heck, I'd take being at the North Pole with Leonid in the middle of a blizzard right now over here babysitting._

She only half-paid attention to her reading. Her narration was flat and monotone, but Timmy and Teether were satisfied anyway when she finished the short story and closed up the book.

"Read it again! Read it again!" Timmy squeaked happily.

_You gotta be kidding me._

She glared. "One more time. But that's it _chico_. _Comprende?_ "

Timmy nodded and Pantha opened the book again.

-TT-

Red Star shifted the baby from one arm to the other in order to rap on the door. Kid Flash and Jinx waited behind him as he stepped away. After a few minutes with no indication that anyone had heard him, he stepped back towards the door.

It opened.

Slightly startled, the Russian stumbled back a few paces, then quickly recovered and smiled down at the person who'd opened the door. "Hello."

Melvin cocked her head curiously as she regarded him. "Are you Red Star?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Bobby says Pantha's waiting for you upstairs."

From behind him, Kid Flash piped up. "And Cyborg?"

Melvin turned and listened to someone just inside the doorway, most likely Bobby. Her face poked out again.

"He's upstairs too," she told them.

Kid Flash grinned. "Great!" Grabbing Jinx's hand he said, "Come on Slowpoke, I bet he's got leftover pizza in the fridge." He scooped her up into his arms and had whizzed through the door in a yellow blur before her startled cry of protest had a chance to fully ring out.

Red Star simply opted for the elevator. Within minutes he was on the top floor. The muffled sounds of what could only be described as chaos was coming down the hall from the main room. He started down the hallway, but stopped when the door at the other end opened and Pantha came tromping towards him herself.

He had to admit, she _did_ look rather frazzled.

"Do you have _any_ idea how loud Teether can get when he's crying? You're lucky I agreed to do this—"

She stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, staring at the bundle in Red Star's arms.

"What is _that?_ " she exclaimed in disgust.

In hindsight he probably should have told her about the baby's mutation _before_ he asked her to baby-sit him. He glanced down at the youngster's fuzzy face. "You do not think he is cute?" he asked. "He reminds me much of a miniature version of comrade Wildebeest."

At the comparison Pantha took a hesitant second glance at the baby… and lost her resolve to be utterly repulsed by his tiny horns and wet snout and the fur covering his skin. "Ehh…"

Darn it all, the kid was actually kinda cute.

"Er… well…"

She looked back and forth between the currently sleeping youngster and Leonid's smiling face. Finally she gave a heavy sigh and held her arms out. Without further hesitation, Red Star passed the baby over to her. Pantha awkwardly took the infant in her arms.

"Oy…"

"He's very fond of lentils and he likes his milk lukewarm," Red Star helpfully informed her. "Also, do not allow him anywhere near shiny glass objects." The Russian grimaced at the memory. "It will not end well."

Pantha gazed worriedly down at the child's face, as though afraid that any minute she would drop him on the floor. "Whadda I call him?"

"I am afraid we do not know his name yet."

"Hmm…" Pantha squinted her eyes at the toddler, studying his features as she tried to decide upon a short, convenient moniker to address him. "I'll call him Murry."

Red Star's eyebrow lifted in confusion. "Murry?"

"What, you don't like Murry?"

"I would have named him Cheslav."

"Why are we _talking_ about this?" Pantha exclaimed, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable.

The Russian flinched apologetically. "You are right. The sooner I leave the sooner I can return to take him off your hands." He turned towards the open door to OPS and called out, "Comrade Flash! We should be going now!"

Kid Flash appeared at the doorway momentarily and trotted towards them, still dragging Jinx along behind him with one hand while in the other he held an egg roll, which he munched on as they approached.

"We'll see you in a few hours Pantha," the speedster told her around a large mouthful as he and Jinx passed by. He swallowed and waved back at her. "Have fun!"

Red Star nodded to the Titaness and turned to follow them. Pantha stood where she was in the hallway, still not quite sure what to do with herself or the bundle in her arms.

The commotion in the common room increased, deciding her next course of action for her. She sighed and rotated around towards the door.

"What are they fighting over _now?_ " she wondered aloud.

-TT-

It was a tinker toy. And thirty minutes later it was Timmy's blanket. And thirty minutes after that it was who got to go to the bathroom first. Pantha had, by this time, developed a rather painful migraine.

Surprisingly, "Murry" was the most well-behaved of the lot. He spent the first hour and a half asleep and then mostly just wandered around, usually following her as she and Cyborg tried to keep up with the Tyke Titans. They'd trundled up and down the Tower three or four times already, just running after the hyperactive threesome. Well, twosome actually; Melvin was pretty calm. Except she kept disappearing to take care of Bobby. Pantha was looking for her now. She was in the front hallway, vaguely recollecting that was the last time she'd seen the girl.

"YO! QUIT MESSING WITH THE SCANNERS!" came Cyborg's aggravated shout from somewhere up above her. Teether was probably chewing on something he wasn't supposed to again.

Pantha sighed, rubbing her head and wishing for the third time that day that Leonid was back. He was _much_ better with kids than she was. And the man lent her a certain… stability she couldn't quite manage to achieve on her own. It was why she liked hanging around him so much. He was solid, dependable. Quality husband material.

Not that she thought about things like that.

Muttering in Spanish under her breath, she checked behind and under the seats, scanning anywhere and everywhere a six-year-old could hide. "Melvin?" she called wearily.

A small tugging came at her boot. She twisted her head around and down to see two big beady black eyes shining up at her.

"Mama!" the toddler gurgled happily.

"No Murry, _Pantha,_ " she corrected. Her gaze floated around the room again. "Melvin?" she called again.

"Yes?"

Pantha whirled around to see Melvin standing next to the toddler.

_How did she do that?_ Pantha wondered. Exhaling in relief she bent down to Melvin's level. "You gotta stop wandering off like that."

Melvin shrugged. "Bobby wanted to go outside."

"Well tell Bobby he should let me know beforehand next time." Pantha stood back up, putting a hand to her head, which was pounding from the yelling that was going on. "And go rein in Teether, I think he's eating something electrical again," she ordered the girl tiredly.

"Okay," Melvin's pig-tails bobbed up and down as she shook her head and shuffled off in the direction of the noise.

Pantha mumbled to herself as she watched the girl leave. "How do I get myself into these things? All I wanted was a little break from the action for a bit. I didn't ask to be the Titans' official babysitter or to—"

She stopped, nose twitching. She'd caught a whiff of something decidedly unpleasant in the air.

She groaned.

"That'd _better_ not be what I think it is…"

She took a couple sniffs to determine the type and location of the odor and found that it was, as she'd feared, coming from the toddler, still smiling and beaming up at her adorably.

"Ah, _hell!_ "

-TT-

Red Star returned precisely when he'd promised a few hours later, to find the Tower strangely quiet. He didn't know whether to be relieved or worried about it for a long uncertain while.

Up until he came across Pantha sitting cross-legged in the common room, playing patty-cake with Melvin. The three other children were sprawled out in varying positions around the room, all sound asleep. Bobby sat in one of the corners, watching the game. Cyborg was nowhere to be seen, though Red Star could see sparks emanating from one of the control panels as though someone was in the middle of repairing it.

He cleared his throat.

Pantha and Melvin's heads both whipped towards him.

"We have found his guardians," he announced.

"Already?" Pantha said, standing up with a reluctant look on her face.

At his quizzical stare she quickly corrected herself.

"I mean—What took you so long?" she demanded unconvincingly, crossing her arms.

Red Star made no reply as he crossed over to where the baby was sleeping and scooped him up. The little mutant made a soft noise but didn't wake. "Did he behave himself?" he asked.

Pantha's lips turned upward in a faint smile. "Like an angel."

"That is good. I am glad he did not give you any trouble."

She waved her hand. "Whatever."

He came up to her, the baby tucked in the nook of one arm. With his free hand he took hold of hers. "I thank you most graciously for looking after him for us," he told her, smiling warmly as he squeezed her hand.

Pantha felt her cheeks becoming warm. "No problem…" she murmured.

"Perhaps we may see each other again soon?" Red Star asked.

"Yeah… that'd be nice."

Red Star gave her hand one final squeeze before bidding her goodbye and heading out the door. It slid shut behind him, leaving the room quiet once more. Pantha found herself absentmindedly futzing with her hair.

"Oooh…" she heard Melvin gush. "He _likes_ you."

Flustered and slightly irritated, Pantha had to bite her tongue to keep from becoming defensive and snapping at the girl. Once she was sure she could speak without needing to censor herself she countered grouchily, "You're six. How would you know?"

Melvin's only response was to frown, cross her arms, and say. "Six and a _half._ "

"Whatever," Pantha muttered, shuffling off towards the refrigerator and for a rather inexplicable reason wondering if that had just been Leonid's strange subtle way of asking her on a date.

_Nah,_ she decided. _Couldn't be. Right?_

Right.

She fetched a couples apples from the fridge and headed back towards her charges, putting the notion out of mind.


	24. Homicidal Devil Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is a reference to a particular series of Zits comic strips in which Jeremy is left home alone and (not so) wisely decides to watch three horror movies in the same night. And proceeds to get highly creeped out by every little creak and groan in the house. Enjoy!

Raven sighed and rolled over on her bed, pulling the covers further around her. A few minutes later she shifted position again, inexplicably unable to keep still. This went on a few more minutes before she finally sat up, rubbing her head wearily.

Why couldn't she get to sleep _this_ time?

She twisted her legs around to the side of the bed and reached down for her shoes, tugging them on swiftly before rising from the bed and crossing over to one of her bookshelves. Maybe she just needed to meditate for a few minutes.

She got down a couple scented candles from the shelf and was about to tuck them under her arm and reach for more when she heard a noise out in the hallway. It sounded like someone was moving around.

She frowned. Who could possibly be up at this hour?

Besides her of course.

She bent down and set the candles on the floor. Straightening, she walked across the room to the door. It made a barely audible _swish!_ as she slid it open partway and poked her head out into the hallway. A figure disappeared around the corner just as she looked out.

Curiosity piquing, she stepped out into the hall and followed the figure, determined to solve the mystery of its identity. When she rounded the corner she spotted the now-familiar and recognizable figure sliding along the wall, pointy ears perked way up and a baseball bat clutched tightly in his hands.

"Beast Boy?"

The changeling shrieked and jumped about a foot in the air before whirling around, fingers clinging desperately to his bat.

"Oh," Beast Boy said, visibly relaxing when he saw who had called him. "Raven. It's you."

"What—" _A_ _re you doing out in the hallway at this time of night with a baseball bat?_ she was about to ask but the changeling interrupted her with a loud "Shh!" before the first word could come out. He looked up and down the hallway with wide, fearful eyes.

"Something's lurking around the Tower!" he whispered. "It's some kind of ten-armed bloodthirsty monster that's escaped from another dimension I know it! Any minute now it's gonna jump out from the shadows, wrap its slimy tentacles around us, drag us off to its lair and _eat_ us!"

Raven stared dumbly at the shape-shifter.

Beast Boy cast a quick glance down the hallway, gripping his bat as though nothing short of a white-knuckle grasp could keep hold of it.

"I've been trying to track it by its scent and the sounds it's making; sometimes you can tell when they're near by how it'll get really quiet and there'll be a cold clammy kind of fish smell in the air," he told her. "But it keeps changing direction! I think I'm getting close and then I hear something behind me so I go investigate that but then I'll hear something else and I'm afraid that it's circling around behind me trying to catch me off guard! It's gonna rip me to shreds!"

"You've been up late watching horror movies again haven't you?"

His eye twitched.

"Late night marathon of all four _Wicked Scary_ movies," he explained. "I haven't been able to sleep or even close my eyes since it started."

_Creak!_

"Gah! What was that?!" Beast Boy cried, starting and whirling in the direction of the actually quite innocuous sound.

Raven touched a hand to her temple. "Beast Boy…" she groaned wearily. "Do you remember the _last_ time you were up late watching horror flicks?"

"It wasn't _my_ fault Robin wanted a late-night snack!" Beast Boy protested. His voice dropped lower. "Or that his shadow looked like a knife-wielding psychopath's," he added under his breath.

Her hand left her temple and slipped beneath her cloak as she sighed and muttered, "I don't suppose I can convince you that there's no monster lurking around and to just go to bed?"

Beast Boy shook his head emphatically, raising his bat a little higher. "Ohhhh no. Not when there's some speechless unnamed terror waiting to strike out at the slightest—"

_Click!_

"AAAAH!" Beast Boy screamed, grabbing the handle of the nearest door, from behind which the sound had come, flinging it open and swatting the thing inside with the bat, hitting it several times for good measure before springing back and hiding behind Raven. After a few moments of silence with no sign of the unnamed terror retaliating, he poked his head out from behind her cloak.

"Is it dead?"

Raven peered into the darkness of the doorway at the thing that Beast Boy had just "killed" with the bat. "Yeah, about as dead as a water heater can be," she commented dryly.

Beast Boy exhaled a long breath and straightened up, moving over to see the damage himself. The water heater sported a few deep dents and a small crack near the top was spritzing out tiny streams of water.

"Dude… I didn't think I was hitting that hard," he mumbled in disbelief.

"You know Robin's gonna kill you for this."

He laughed nervously. "Heh. You know it's really funny how much a water heater can sound like a ten-armed bloodthirsty monster from another dimension at three-o-clock in the morning…"

He leaned into the closet to inspect the damage further and Raven couldn't help but notice how tense the muscles in his shoulders were. She also thought she could see the barest trembling in his limbs. Not that she needed to look at him to know how jittery he was—her empathic senses had been feeling the weight of the changeling's irrational terror for a while now. He really needed to learn his limits when it came to indulging in unhealthy amounts of cinematic horror. With his overactive imagination and the Tower's occasional creepiness it was really quite a wonder he hadn't passed out from fright by…

The thought stuck in her head. His back was turned toward her and his attention was completely on the heater. She could disappear without a trace and he would never even notice.

An evil smile spread across her face. Without a word she phased soundlessly into the floor.

Beast Boy was busy testing the leaks, wondering if sticking gum over the holes would do the trick. His nervous laughter continued. "Heh-heh. This isn't so bad." He let the bat swing down by his side as he rummaged around the closet for something to plug the leak with. "You won't tell Robin about this will you, Raven?"

There was no response.

His heart rate started creeping back up. He looked with wide eyes over his shoulder at the empty hallway behind him.

"Raven?" he squeaked fearfully.

The empath was nowhere to be seen.

Goosebumps ran up his arms. The hairs on the back his neck stood up. His ears perked and every sense was on high alert. He lifted the bat and took a few tentative steps away from the closet.

A hideous visage with glowing red eyes suddenly lunged out from the wall at him.

"AAAAUUUGGH!" Beast Boy screamed before stumbling back and promptly passing out, falling to the floor like a deadweight.

The monstrous face melted away into black tendrils that resolved into the form of the missing empath.

Raven chuckled softly.

Sure it had been mean and all too easy and tempting and she'd probably regret it later when Beast Boy paid her back for it but boy, the look of pure terror on his face right when she leapt out was priceless.

Now she finally understood the appeal.

She couldn't suppress a smile as she maneuvered around the changeling's inert, prone body. Beast Boy groaned a little as she stepped over him and cracked open his eyes.

"Didja see it?" he asked groggily.

"Saw it. Fought it. Kicked its butt," Raven told him almost cheerfully as she headed back to her room. "You can go to sleep now."

The shape-shifter stayed where he was, sprawled limply on the floor, holding his head. "Yeah okay…" he murmured. "…think first I'll work on blinking…"


	25. Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first of many after-battle patch-ups/Intimate Healing medical scenes. Apparently it's my thing, heh.

Robin stumbled into the front hallway of the Tower, leaning weakly on his bo staff for support, hand clutched tightly against his left side, beneath which, even against the red of his shirt, an even darker patch of red was spreading. He grit his teeth tightly, cringing. Through dizzied, hazy, pain-filled vision he looked up towards the end of the hall where the elevator was.

In his current state it looked eons away.

He shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness. He could make it. He had to. He had to reach the medical bay and patch himself up before checking in with Starfire. She couldn't see him like this. He couldn't let her. She would freak out. She would become hysterical and anxious and afraid for him.

He didn't want her to be afraid for him. She shouldn't have to be. Someone like Starfire should never have to feel fear or pain or grief. She should be always happy and smiling, without a care in the world.

He needed her happy and smiling.

His teeth clenched even more. His grasp tightened firmly on his staff. He lifted his foot and took a single tentative, ginger step forward. It hurt like heck and he swayed a little uneasily for a moment, before taking another step, more to steady himself than to make any progress towards the door. The pain in his side subsided. He paused and took in a deep breath. He let it out slowly as he looked back up towards the far end of the hall. The elevator door stood mocking him in the distance. He glared at it before summoning his strength and moving a few paces down the hall.

The pain flared up, his head swum, and he stopped again.

He repeated this process several times. Plant bo staff a foot or so in front. Step forward with the right foot. Step forward quickly with the left before the right starts hurting. Stop and breathe and wait for the dizziness to die down. He lost count of how many times it was taking him. Slowly, slowly, he inched closer and closer to the elevator, keeping a firm hand on his staff and making sure not to put too much weight on his right foot. Aside from the nasty slice in his abdomen, he had also managed to twist his ankle.

He was still cursing himself for that and wondering how exactly that had happened.

As he gradually made progress crossing the room, his mind wandered. He wondered how he was going to hide this from Starfire when he returned to the common room to say goodnight and escort her back to her room. It wasn't like you could disguise the fact that you couldn't walk properly because your ankle was twisted and your head kept spinning like it was on a merry-go-round. He stopped abruptly, eyes widening at a sudden scenario that was all too likely.

_Oh crud, what if she hugs me?_

He didn't think he could _take_ one of Starfire's characteristic bone-crushing hugs in his condition.

His head rolled down towards the floor and hung limply as he stared at the carpet.

Maybe he could play it off. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to ask her to ease up on her affection because he was being crushed and couldn't breathe.

He'd have to, he decided. He roused himself and continued his slow limping towards the door. He'd figure it out later. As for the other Titans, it wouldn't be too hard to keep this from them. Raven would be suspicious, no doubt, but she wouldn't pry. Cyborg and Beast Boy wouldn't bat an eyelash at him becoming reclusive for a few days. But Starfire would know something was up, and immediately start worrying about him like she always did and he didn't know if he could—

_Stop thinking about it,_ he scolded himself. _Focus. Right now all that matters is getting to the infirmary._ He settled his gaze on his feet and concentrated on their movement for a few steps. Counting the steady thump of his staff against the floor kept his mind occupied. Three… four… five… He lifted his head again and his heart leapt to see that the elevator was just a few paces away now. He quickened his movements and covered the short distance. In his haste he tripped on the last step and nearly fell into the wall. His hand left his side and braced against the cool metal and he managed to right himself. He stayed there breathing a minute before shifting his weight onto his staff and punching the button that would open the door. It swished open and he staggered in. As the door closed behind him he let out a sigh of relief.

_Made it_.

The elevator lurched and Robin lost his balance and fell back, banging his head on the wall with a sickening _crack!_ He dropped his bo staff as he landed painfully on his rear. His vision filled with funny black spots. The elevator rushed upwards towards its destination, filling the insides of his ears with wind and making his stomach drop out. He held a hand on the back of his head, dazed. The blood pounded behind his eyes. The spot that he'd hit pulsed with sharp knife-like stabs. He nearly blacked out.

It took a while for the spots to fade and his vision to clear. When it finally did he glanced up and was surprised to see that the elevator door was open. He stared at the opening uncomprehendingly for a moment before realizing the elevator must have reached his floor already. He shifted to get his legs underneath him and then rose shakily to his feet, picking up his dropped staff. He wobbled uncertainly for a few terrifying seconds before regaining some semblance of balance and striking out again, once again using his staff as a crutch.

A few steps into the hallway a wave of dizziness overcame him. Robin tried his hardest to remain upright but his inner ear refused to stabilize. The staff fell from his hand. The room rocked chaotically. He pitched forward.

The last thing he saw was the floor rushing upwards towards him.

-TT-

Starfire sat quietly slumped against the plush cushions of the couch, her hands lying softly in her lap. A soft, dull _thud!_ met her ears and she immediately straightened up and looked over the back of the couch.

"Robin?" she called.

Had he returned? It seemed a little early. She stood and curiously approached the door, hands held to her chest in a child-like manner. There had been no response to her query and that was beginning to unnerve her.

"Robin?" she called again, slightly louder.

When there was still no answer, she covered the remaining distance to the door, which swished open automatically. She stepped out into the hall. Her eyes danced uncertainly around the dim corridor, searching the darkness. She took a few more steps then stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted a crumpled form lying on the floor in front of her. She gasped.

"Robin!" she cried, and descended upon him in an instant. He stirred and groaned at her touch, his face grimacing in obvious pain. Her hands floated around him, unsure of what to grab for fear of causing him hurt. "What has happened?" she asked. Her frightened wide eyes searched him up and down looking for the source of his distress. She spotted the darker patch of red at the bottom left of his tunic. "Oh!" she wailed. "You are injured!"

Robin silently berated himself for his collapse, all his desperate plans for hiding this from her dissipating into the wind. "It's not bad," he lied, even as a sharp pang from his side caused him to clench his teeth.

Who was he kidding? Of _course_ it was bad. Through the black haze that still pressed down on his consciousness, threatening to snatch it away from him, his stubborn heroic side insisted he could handle it.

His human side merely replied by lifting the fog and reminding him exactly what kind of mess he was in.

That did it. His heroic side grudgingly relented and allowed Starfire to gently tug him up. She hadn't heard him, apparently, for she grasped his arm and slung it over her shoulder, her other hand going to his chest to steady him. "We must get you to the infirmary," she mumbled softly. Very carefully, biting her lip in concentration and watching her friend's face closely, she straightened, lifting them both to their feet. She maneuvered them around towards the elevator. His face registered confusion and she turned her gaze towards him worriedly. Did he not remember the hospital wing was not on this floor? She clung tightly to him with the arm around his shoulders as her free hand pushed the button to send them mid-Tower where the med bay was. He leaned weakly against her as they descended. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck; feel the shudders that went through him with every inhale and exhale. She cast an anxious glance at the wound in his side. It didn't look like it was bleeding anymore but it was still pretty deep and it obviously hurt. She was glad it wasn't fatal but she'd need a closer look at it once they got to the infirmary before she'd allow herself to relax. They reached the floor and she put her hand on Robin's chest again, feeling the steady beat beneath her fingers. Slowly they stepped out into the hallway and made their way to the infirmary.

His breath came in a sudden harsh hiss through his teeth and for an instant her heart stopped. Her wide eyes darted towards their feet, noticing that Robin's right ankle was tilted at a funny angle.

"Are you…?" She couldn't finish.

He shook his head. "No, I'm… just… just keep going," he told her, barely able to lift his eyes towards her.

She wondered briefly if she should try flying the rest of the way but the possibility of hurting him further and her current lack of unbridled joy put it out of mind. She merely gripped him tighter and continued on.

Agonizing seconds later, they were both in the medical bay. Starfire brought him over to a bed and he gratefully slumped down onto it. He leaned back on his hands and stared up at the ceiling as Starfire's soft strong arms hesitantly left him.

Reassured for the moment that he was okay, Starfire headed off towards the cabinets. As she set about gathering antiseptic and bandages Robin wearily tugged off his gloves.

He shouldn't have to be here. He should have seen the third thug coming, should have caught the glint of the knife in his clenched fist. That one moment of distraction caught him off guard. He'd already had his hands full with the other two and by the time he'd seen the strike coming, it was already too late.

He sighed and reached around behind him, tugging off his tunic and the green shirt underneath.

And then on top of that he'd landed the wrong way on his ankle and twisted it.

_How could I be so_ **_stupid?!_ **

He yanked his uniform off a little too forcefully and flinched at the sharp stab in his side. Starfire turned at his soft grunt, and cringed as she saw the crimson red line running from just below his waistline almost to his hip. As Robin slowly lowered his arms with a heavy exhale and set the bloodied garments to the side, she hurried over with the supplies neatly laid out on a medical cart.

Robin's face reddened as she came towards him with a handful of antiseptic-soaked cotton balls and he shifted weakly away in protest.

_No._ He didn't want her to do that. He was Robin, the Boy Wonder. He wasn't weak. He could handle giving himself a little first aid. He pushed her hands away.

She grabbed hold of his wrist to stop him. "Please be still," she begged, "so I may—"

He wrenched his wrist from her grasp. "I'm fine." he snapped. "I can do this myself."

Starfire frowned, stepping back with the cotton balls still clutched tightly in her fist. "You are _not_ fine," she contended hotly. Her gaze softened as she looked over his injury again.

_It is most unpleasant. I wonder if it has caused any damage to his organs…_

"Perhaps I should get Raven," she murmured aloud.

Robin's stubborn and willful pride reared its ugly head. "I can _handle_ it!" he insisted loudly, reaching out for the cotton balls in her hand.

She placed them on the cart, out of his reach, whirled back around, and did something completely unexpected.

She slapped him.

Not very hard, granted, and with only the very tips of her fingers. It still stung and Robin's hand shot to the place where she'd made contact, his jaw dropping, staring at the irate Tamaranian princess in shock.

"Do _not_ give me that!" Starfire growled, her eyes flashing angrily. "You are injured! And if you do not allow me to assist you, I am _going_ to get Raven!" She turned and began to stalk towards the door.

His shock turned to panic. "Wait!" he cried. Her head snapped towards him. "Star…" he called plaintively. "…please…" he pleaded, his desperate eyes begging her not to leave, not to tell the others. "…Please… I…" He trailed off weakly, looking at her in hopelessness.

Her hard glare lost its edge. The tension in her shoulders faded. Her hands drifted upwards and curled into loose fists against her heart. Concern filled her emerald eyes. She stepped over to him and gently touched her palm to his cheek.

"Robin…" she said softly, caressing his skin lightly with her fingertips. "Why did you not call for aid?" she whispered, the hurt in her voice stabbing into him worse than the crook's knife had. He dropped his gaze, hanging his head in shame. The heat crept across his cheeks as he looked down at his toes.

"I didn't… want you to know…" he murmured. "I…" He glanced up and then down again, still unable to meet her gaze. His mouth kept going. His voice dropped lower, barely above a whisper. "…wanted to be strong for you." His mind panicked at the admission, but the rest of him felt strangely relieved to have said it.

Starfire continued to brush against his cheek. "On Tamaran," she told him, "it is the mark of a true warrior not only to show great strength in battle, but also to acknowledge when he is _not_ strong, to admit his weakness … and to allow others to be his strength for him."

"Yeah," he acknowledged. His hand drifted up to rest lightly on her wrist. "You're right. I just…"

He raised his eyes to meet her gaze at last.

"I didn't want you to be afraid for me," he said.

She sighed.

"Robin…" she said, slight undercurrent of exasperation in her tone. Her expression turned somber.

"I have already seen you at your weakest," she said quietly. Her fingers crept behind his ear as she cupped the edge of his jaw. Her gaze became unfocused and distant, reminiscing. "The night that Slade's dust infiltrated your mind, and you saw things that were not there, after you collapsed into my arms… I was the one who carried you back here."

He shouldn't have been surprised at that, but he was. Somehow it had just never occurred to him how he'd made it back up to the infirmary from the basement that night. He'd assumed someone had carried him but still…

Starfire's gaze focusing back on him brought an end to his musing. Her glassy green pools were deep with sorrow. "And I _was_ afraid for you," she admitted. "But Robin…"

Her lips pressed together.

"I care very much for you," she mumbled. "And no amount of fear could keep me from your side when you have the need of help."

_No amount of fear…_

He could feel his cheeks warming against her palm, even as his insides gave a dizzy leap. His heart thudded for a reason that was entirely unrelated to his current physical condition. His hand moved higher. He placed it over hers and let himself be lost in the green depths of Starfire's eyes.

"Star…" he breathed. He didn't know what else to say. He pulled her hand down from his face so he could hold it properly, squeezing her slender orange fingers in his. For a minute or so he caressed her delicate digits between his knuckles.

"What would I do without you?" he finally wondered aloud, and though she couldn't see it, his eyes were shining at her behind his mask.

"Suffer silently through your pain like a stubborn boy," she replied, her face contorted into a stern frown but the glint in her eyes giving away her mirth.

He chuckled.

"Probably," he agreed.

She smiled and leaned in to plant a gentle peck on his cheek. "Now," she said, eyes sparkling, "will you allow me to assist you?"

He nodded.

She gave his hand a final affectionate clasp, then picked up the bandages from the cart.

-TT-

Starfire worked in silence, with only an occasional inquiry as to his condition. He responded with brief murmured reassurances. She didn't ask him how he'd gotten stabbed, but eventually he found himself telling her anyway, relaying the details of the fight, the injury, and his long walk home. The anecdote was punctuated with a few phrases beating up on himself to which Starfire quickly objected and turned into encouragement. (Except for the part where he berated himself for trying to limp five miles back to the Tower with a knife wound in his side, which she forcefully agreed had been stupid of him.) Finally the wound was cleaned and bandaged. Starfire stood to her feet from where she's been kneeling on the floor and began to pack away the first aid supplies.

She cast an anxious glance at him as she finished putting things away. "Will you be okay?" she asked.

"Think so," he said, leaning back on his hands again. "I'll stay here for the night though," he told her. "Don't feel much like limping back to my room." Actually Starfire was probably more than willing to carry him but Robin thought he'd put her through enough tonight. He was relieved when she made a noise of acceptance and didn't protest his decision.

"You will need to 'take it easy' for the while," she admonished, gently shoving away the cart.

"I know."

Man, he hated that. It made him feel so useless, having to sit out and recover while the rest of the Titans fought without him. But he was human, and he was going to need to learn to deal with that before his reckless heroics got him killed.

He stared off into space, thinking about what Starfire had said, that a true warrior found strength from others in the midst of his own weakness. His gaze drifted over to her, to the shape of her figure and the way her red hair cascaded down her back. He felt the tickle of uneasy and unmistakable nervous heat rising up his spine and sneaking across his face.

He drew the most strength from her, he realized. She was the one he looked to the most often when he was in over his head and needed help. She had saved him from his obsessions, from the apprenticeship, from countless other darknesses including even his own mind. In his darkest moments, she had always played a key role in bringing him through.

And tonight…

She had been the one he leaned on when he couldn't stand on his own.

_She's like my angel or something,_ he thought. _I don't have to be superhuman around her._

A warm smile touched his lips.

_Guess that's why I'm in love with her._

"Starfire?"

She faced him, eyes anxious, expression uncertain.

He touched her elbow softly. "Thanks." He reached around her and took her by the waist, and pulled her into him for a hug. She melted against him. Her arms draped around his bare shoulders. A few strands of her hair fell forward to tickle his skin. He buried his face in her neck and felt her heart beat against his. He held her like this for as long as he dared—breathing her scent, feeling her cool skin beneath his arms—before gently letting her go.

"You are welcome," Starfire said, quietly glowing with relief. She spun around and drifted out of the room, floating a few inches above the floor. She paused at the door and called back to him, "Good night Robin."

"'night, Star."

She glided out the doorway. He sighed and stretched himself out onto the bed, still mad at himself for getting hurt, but grateful to have her as his source of strength in weakness.


	26. Girl Troubles

Beast Boy ambled into the common room in a very chipper mood, whistling to himself, eyes closed absentmindedly. His cheerful mood did not dissipate when he opened his eyes and noticed their leader sitting slumped at the kitchen counter, arms wrapped around his head, head pressed dejectedly to the marble, looking exceedingly pitiful. His curiosity piqued, however, and his whistling stopped. He bounded over to Robin and took up a place by his left side.

"Hey Robin!" he greeted brightly. "Something the matter?"

The Boy Wonder slouched further. "I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled into his arms.

"Aw, come on!" Beast Boy insisted. "Maybe I can help."

Robin raised his head off his arms and looked his companion in the eye. "I doubt it, but… okay," he said, sitting up straight in his chair. Beast Boy took up a seat opposite him. Robin sighed and began uncomfortably.

"Well… you see… I was on the roof with Starfire—"

"Oh I get it," Beast Boy interrupted, slight teasing tone coming into his voice. "This is a problem with _Starfire._ "

Robin stiffened defensively and Beast Boy could see a shade of pink in his cheeks. "What's that supposed to mean?" the Boy Wonder demanded irritably.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Nothing," he dodged innocently.

Robin shot him a glare before continuing on. "Anyway, we were talking about the fight we had with Cinderblock the other day and, um…" His brows knit together in concentration. "…Actually I'm not sure what happened. One minute I was—um, yeah…" he trailed awkwardly, fully aware of the changeling's gaze still on him (and not willing to reveal the fact he'd been trying to put the moves on Starfire). "And the next she's storming off in a huff." He hung his head in his hands. "I don't even know what I said wrong..." he muttered.

"So…" Beast Boy said, mentally connecting the dots. "Basically something happened while you two were on the roof and now she's mad at you?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. That's it."

The shape-shifter bit his lip in disapproval. "What did you do this time?"

"I don't _know_ what I did!" Robin exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "I just said!"

Beast Boy leaned back and held up his hands to placate his exasperated teammate. "Okay okay! Calm down."

As the agitated Titan settled back into his seat, Beast Boy chewed on his lip in concentration. What kind of advice were you supposed to give someone who didn't even know what the problem was?

"Have you tried talking to her?" he asked.

Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. "Yeah. Didn't go well. She slammed the door in my face before I could say anything."

Now Beast Boy was openly frowning. Starfire only did stuff like that when she was seriously ticked off. And if there was anyone on the team you did not want to be ticked off at you, it was Starfire. She had an extraordinary way of making the responsible party feel overcome with guilt. (As Beast Boy well knew.)

And it was only worse when the responsible party happened to be Robin.

This made the situation very, very delicate indeed. If it didn't get cleared up soon it was gonna start making the rest of them miserable.

If only he was really as knowledgeable about girls and their emotions as he pretended to be.

"So…" he queried tentatively, "What are you gonna do?"

Robin had resumed his former position slumped against the counter with his chin resting on his arms. "I have absolutely no idea."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment.

"When Raven's mad at _me_ I usually follow her around in various cute animal forms until she stops being angry," Beast Boy offered, tapping the counter.

"I don't think that helps me Beast Boy," Robin grumbled.

The shape-shifter leaned on his elbows. "Well, it doesn't work anyway," he confessed. At the other boy's groan he quickly added, "Aw, dude. It's not so bad. We just have to figure out what you said to set her off, that's all. Then you can apologize for it and everything will be peachy keen between you two again." _And you can go back to your make-out sessions_ , he added to himself.

Robin sighed. "Okay," he acknowledged, straightening back up. His gaze focused on something behind the changeling as he tried to remember. "Um… like I said we were talking about that fight with Cinderblock. I told her she should be more careful when getting in to attack from close quarters." He ran his fingers through his hair. "She teased me about being too uptight and paranoid. I said I just didn't want to have to keep coming to her rescue all the time…" he trailed off and when he looked up the changeling was giving him an open-mouthed stare. "What?" he asked.

"Dude… that was it."

"What was?"

"You basically just told her she couldn't handle herself."

He blinked. "I did?"

Beast Boy nodded. "That, or she took it as something ridiculously complicated like you don't like her or something because you think she can't take care of herself in a fight."

It took a few seconds for Robin's brain to process the statement. When it finally did, his eyes widened.

"Oh _crud!"_ he exclaimed, twisting back to the counter and banging his head and a fist on it.

That _did_ make her comment about 'not needing to be the babysat' make a lot more sense…

"Stupid… stupid! What was I thinking?!" he berated himself. "She's from a race of alien warriors!"

Beast Boy patted the boy's shoulder sympathetically. "Yeah… and she _was_ kinda kicking your butt when you first met," he said, grinning.

Robin grit his teeth and growled, "She was _not_ —"

"Sorry Rob, but I'm with B on this one," Cyborg's voice interrupted. Both boys looked up to see the half-robot walking towards them. "She was majorly kickin' your butt," he added with a smile.

"I had the situation under control…" Robin muttered almost inaudibly, a flush coming over his skin.

Beast Boy's grin widened with Cyborg's arrival. "Hey Cy!" he greeted as the cybernetic Titan came to stand at the counter with them.

Cyborg leaned casually against the counter, folding his arms across his chest. "So what'd I miss?"

"Robin's having girl troubles with Starfire," the changeling explained.

Robin's head shot up indignantly. "I am not—!"

"Again?" Cyborg's eyebrows scrunched. He frowned and glanced down at Robin. "Man, what did you do this time?" he asked incredulously.

"Why does everyone automatically assume that it's _my_ fault?!" Robin exclaimed.

The other two gave him a very condescending glare.

The Boy Wonder grimaced. "Stupid question," he mumbled, putting his face in his hands again.

As though Robin's outburst had never happened, Beast Boy quickly filled Cyborg in on the details of their leader and resident alien's little rooftop spat. Robin was mildly relieved when Cyborg's only reaction was to cluck his tongue and comment, "That's rough."

"Totally," Beast Boy agreed, leaping up onto the counter and leaning back on his hands. "Least it's not as bad as that one time he ran out on her in the middle of movie night."

"Oh, I remember _that,_ " Cyborg said, shuddering. "We couldn't be in the same room with her for weeks."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Robin piped up. "'cause it's not helping," he added scathingly.

"Then there was that time she got all ticked at him because he said she wasn't his girlfriend," Beast Boy went on. He swung his legs back and forth. " _I_ still don't understand what the deal was with that one. I mean, it's not like he told her he didn't like her."

"Per se," Cyborg amended.

"Seriously. You guys aren't helping me at all." Robin sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. "Why do girls have to take every single thing you say the wrong way?" he wondered aloud.

"Mmm," the other two murmured in agreement.

The three boys fell silent for a while, ruminating on the complexity of females and their inability as males to understand them.

Finally Cyborg broke the silence, straightening as he addressed Robin, "Well, best thing for you to do is just go apologize to her. A straight-up admission that you're an idiot always works with Sarah."

Robin picked at his glove. "Yeah, you're right. I probably should just go up and—wait—" The frames of his mask scrunched down in confusion. "Who's Sarah?"

Cyborg took on a very good impression of a deer in the headlights.

Beast Boy got up from where he'd laid down on the counter, ears perking up in interest.

Cyborg coughed. "Uh… well…" he began. "She's, um… this girl… I met… and uh… ya know, it's really none o' your business," he finished grumpily.

Robin watched Cyborg with concerned, slightly narrowed eyes. "How often have you been seeing this girl?" he probed.

"Once or twice a week," the other boy admitted in defeat.

"Dude, you got a girlfriend and you didn't tell me about it?" Beast Boy said, voice feigning a little hurt.

"You aren't, uh…" Robin said, scratching nervously at the back of his head. "You're not…" He was trying to say 'dating' but it seemed they already _were_ dating so it was rather pointless to ask and Robin didn't want to think about the _other_ things that could go in the blank there.

As if he could guess Robin's internal mental dilemma, Cyborg smiled and held up his hands. "N'aw man, I been keepin' it low-key."

The Boy Wonder breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. The last thing we need around here is more girl troubles." He got off the stool and started heading for the door. "I'm going to look for Starfire," he told them.

"She's on the roof," Raven's voice said, and all three boys jumped. The empath stood coolly in the doorframe, hands on her hips, seemingly having appeared there while they weren't looking. The empath raised an eyebrow and wondered briefly at the guilty looks the boys sent each other but decided it wasn't important and turned to the fidgeting Robin.

"She's calmed down a bit since your fight but you still have a lot of explaining to do." She tilted her head towards the hallway. "Hurry up. I don't know how much longer she'll be up there."

"Right," Robin acknowledged, and swiftly brushed past her and dashed down the hallway.

Raven strolled over to the kitchen and began to make herself some tea. Beast Boy and Cyborg said nothing as she set the kettle on the stove, heated the water to boiling point, filled her cup, and plopped the tea bag into the steaming water. After several more minutes of awkward silence dominating the room, Raven picked up her cup and glanced over at the boys.

"Any reason why you're still hanging around?

As if broken from a trance the two stepped away from the counter as one.

"Nope. No reason," Cyborg said.

"Yeah, I mean—" Beast Boy added. " _I_ was kinda enjoying watching you make your tea but now that you're done… yeah…" he finished lamely. "I gotta go."

"Me too."

They both made a hasty exit from the room.

Raven shook her head as she put her cup to her lips and took a long sip.

_Boys._

_-_ TT-

"It is not as though I am utterly incapable of defending myself."

"It's not. I know it's not," Robin said, nodding forcefully to reassure his still-very-ticked-off female friend. "It's just—"

He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. The late afternoon sun was hanging low in the western sky, tinting the air a pale orange as it splashed across their faces. The amber light made her emerald eyes stand out even more strongly as she stood there in front of him, tense with righteous indignation. Robin bit his lip as he looked at her, trying to figure out a way to say what he needed without making the situation worse.

He dropped his hands. "It was stupid of me to say that. It was. And I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about how it would come out. But I didn't—" He tripped over his words and started again, gaze drifting down towards the rooftop beneath their feet. "I didn't say it because I thought you were weak and helpless. Please don't think that," he begged, raising his eyes back up to her. "That's completely not true. You're not, and I'm an idiot for even implying that you are. I said it because—" He stopped as the blush crept across his cheeks and his collar tightened uncomfortably. "Because—"

He tugged at his collar.

"Because I... I _worry_ about you, okay? It's silly and it's stupid and I wouldn't blame for thinking I'm completely dense. Which I am." He sighed again and dropped his head. "I just… I don't want you to get hurt," he finished.

She didn't say anything and for a moment he wondered if she was even there. He glanced up and was surprised to see the angry expression gone from her face, replaced with lit-up eyes and a vibrant smile.

"Oh Robin!" she exclaimed happily. "You do the worrying about me as well?"

... _This is a surprise?_ Robin thought. _Cyborg and Beast Boy seem to think it's glaringly obvious…_

"Um… yeah?" he responded hesitantly.

She clasped her hands in front of her. "And you said those things because you wished me to come to no harm?"

Where was she going with this? He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or nervous. "Yeah," he answered.

Her smile widened.

From behind the door that led back into the Tower where they were hiding, Beast Boy nudged Cyborg and whispered, "Five bucks says she hugs him."

"Ten bucks says Robin stammers like a geek," Cyborg whispered back.

"You're on."

They both turned back to watch the proceedings.

A small, ecstatic squeak escaped from Starfire's lips as she threw her arms around a very confused Boy Wonder. "Then I forgive you!" she declared. She pressed herself to his chest, not in one of her typical bone-crushing hugs, but in something decidedly more… intimate. Suffice to say her head was resting on his collar bone and her arms draped around him, holding him in a way that could only be described as… snuggling.

Robin turned a very bright red.

"Um… Star?" he said, his voice sliding higher in pitch than he'd intended it to. "Not that—you know—this isn't _nice_ or anything… 'cause it is… but—" He coughed nervously. "Could you—I mean—someone might be—that is—uh…"

His brain seemed unusually incapable of delivering a coherent sentence to his mouth.

"Um…" Robin trailed uncertainly.

Starfire merely cuddled him closer and tilted her head up at him, looking at him with those gorgeous green eyes.

_Oh what the heck_.

He put his arms around her waist and hugged her back. He still didn't know why what he'd said caused her to stop being mad at him. Nor why he'd said _before_ caused her to be mad at him in the first place.

He chalked it up to another one of those complicated girl things as he decided to put it out of mind and just enjoy Starfire's affection.

Behind the door Beast Boy and Cyborg growled resentfully and fished around in their pockets for their respective lost bets.


	27. Return of the Laundry Pile

Beast Boy snickered as he peeked out through a gap between one of his spare uniforms, a few socks, and a T-shirt. Footsteps were approaching—he squished himself further into the laundry pile sitting by his door, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. It'd been a while since he dusted off this prank. He was eager to see if it still held the same charm and comedic effect. He quietly stifled his laughter as the footsteps came closer.

Very carefully he looked through the gap he'd left himself to spy with and spotted the familiar sight of Cyborg's legs walking towards him from the other end of the hall. He counted down his friend's steps silently.

_Three… two… one…_

At the perfect moment, he leapt out from the pile, scattering articles of clothing everywhere.

"COWABUNGA!" he shouted.

"Aaaah!" Cyborg shrieked, stumbling back in terror.

Unfortunately he also threw up the box of mechanical parts he'd been carrying. The heavy metal pieces sailed gracefully into the air as though celebrating their newfound freedom…

…and then came inelegantly crashing down to the floor.

_CLANG! Clunk! Clatterclatterclatterclatter…_

Beast Boy cringed at the cacophony of unpleasant metallic sounds. His grimace only grew as one by one the pieces hit the tile and banged into each other and rolled around on the ground, creating enough noise to surely wake the dead. Or at the very least, bring down Raven's wrath upon him for disrupting her meditation. Or alternately Robin's for… the same thing essentially, only with more paperwork.

He was immensely thankful that both the empath and their leader were currently out of the Tower at this moment.

As the noise died down, and the last piece nudged the wall and came to a stop with a final _plink!_ Beast Boy found himself opening his eyes. Funny. He didn't remember closing them.

Cyborg stood in the middle of the mess of spare parts and dirty laundry littering the floor with folded arms and an annoyed glare fixed on him.

"Heh-heh." Beast Boy laughed nervously. "Whoops."

"You know you're gonna hafta pick that up," Cyborg told him dryly.

The changeling shrugged, already over most of his discomfort. The memory of Cyborg's wide-eyed look of shock was coming back. His laundry-pile prank definitely still had some mileage left in it.

"It was worth it," he said.

"Will it still be worth it if I tell Robin?" the cybernetic teen replied.

"…Dude, that's so not fair."

"Pick it up."

-TT-

Starfire wandered aimlessly through the halls, forlorn and a loss as for what to do with herself. Normally by now Raven would be done with her meditation and the two girls could trundle off to the mall or the empath's favorite café to spend some time together. But for some reason Raven was taking longer than usual. Starfire had exhausted nearly all of her other options waiting for the quiet girl. She'd already given Silkie his bath, took a few laps around the obstacle course, watered her snarfuls, attempted to strike up a conversation with Cyborg, though the older boy's attention had remained firmly on the piece of machinery he was muttering earthly curses at. Robin had already brushed off her attempts to coax him from the evidence room, working hard on another Slade lead again. Starfire had sat in with him a few minutes in an attempt to be helpful, but found the silence a little too uncomfortable and had given up.

Unconsciously, she found herself heading for Beast Boy's room. Perhaps the changeling would be willing to do something with her.

Starfire paused a little as she turned the corner, squinting curiously at the pile of laundry sitting by the shape-shifter's door. Odd. She hadn't remembered seeing that there ten minutes ago, when she'd passed by Beast Boy's room in her wanderings.

She took a cautious step towards it. It looked innocent enough, if a little smelly. Reassured that it was not going to leap out and snatch her (which was not wholly outside the realm of possibility when it came to Beast Boy's room), she stepped up to the changeling's door and lifted her hand to knock on it.

Faster than she could blink, something large and green and covered with socks jumped out from the pile at her.

"SOCK MONSTER EAT YOU!" it said in a loud terrifying voice.

Starfire 'eeep'ed and discharged a burst of energy from her raised fist.

-TT-

The question marks went up over Raven's head as she heard—and saw—the small explosion accompanied by a bright green flash from one of the hallways within hearing distance of the common room.

-TT-

"I am immensely sorry Beast Boy!" Starfire said again, her hands still not moving from where they were covering her mouth in horror.

Beast Boy slowly stood up, wobbling a bit dizzily, his hand holding the back of his head. Why was she so worried? He was fine. "S'okay Star…" he murmured shakily. "This shade of charred gray looks good on me…" He could hear something sizzling. And there was this weird burnt small in the air too. He tried to look at her but his eyes wouldn't focus for some reason. They kept lolling around. Like he'd been hit by something really really hard.

_Oh yeah,_ he remembered. _Starbolt._

He really ought to warn Robin that they hurt.

-TT-

The question marks remained above Raven's head as Starfire's voice floated into the room through the open doorway, apologizing profusely for something. She thought she could also hear Beast Boy waving her off with weak reassurances. Finally, though, the changeling himself stumbled disoriented through the doors, his green skin now almost black, his hair smoking—and in some places, it looked, burnt—and the singed remains of several of his socks clinging desperately to him. His eyes were dazed and it took a bit before he could finally focus on the empath enough to know she was there.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn'a done Starfire…" the shape-shifter explained, staggering off towards the kitchen.

Starfire appeared just moments later. "You are _certain_ that you are okay?" she asked.

The changeling nodded, digging around in the freezer for the ice packs he vaguely recalled were there.

Raven dropped out of her levitating stance, settling her feet back on the floor. "Think it's time you retired that trick Beast Boy," she said, crossing over, taking Starfire's wrist, and gently pulling the worried girl out the door.

She couldn't help but smile as Beast Boy's voice drifted out behind them, mumbling, "Yeah… probably… tends to backfire…"


	28. Checkmate

Her head was pounding when she finally awoke. Argent cringed and put a hand over her ear, which was ringing quite painfully. She wondered dimly where the crotchety old man and his giant robots had gone. As her vision cleared she noticed three things. One: she wasn't anywhere near the dam she'd being repairing before her attackers had oh so nicely demolished it. Two: it was very dark. And three: she was in some kind of tall glass capsule. Argent sat up and pressed her palm to the smooth surface, trying to puzzle out where she might be from what she remembered before getting knocked out.

_Let's see… that wrinkly old chap in the military uniform showed up… then I was being shot at by lasers… my lovely work on the dam got blasted into smithereens…_

Oh yes, she was going to be sore about that one for a while.

 _What else?_ she wondered. All she could remember of any real significance after that was that bright burst of red light in her face and hitting her head against something hard. From her current surroundings the conclusion was obvious.

She'd been captured.

Lovely.

Argent scowled at the glass walls surrounding her. A few experimental punches and kicks and several concentrated blasts of her powers confirmed her suspicions of the capsule's impenetrability. She slumped back down against the side of the container, wrapping her arms around her knees.

Well, _her_ first day as an Honorary Titan was going swimmingly.

" _Señorita?"_ a tentative young voice called.

Argent glanced up and over her shoulder. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she could see a second glass container, about ten or so paces behind her, this one holding a boy in a red-and-white jumpsuit emblazoned with a minus sign on his chest.

"Hullo," she exclaimed, twisting around to face the little hero. "Where'd you come from?"

The boy jumped instantly into a rapid flurry of words, gesticulating wildly with his arms. Argent tried to keep up with the lightening stream of foreign words emanating from the panicking twelve-year-old.

" _Señorita!"_ he cried. _"Qué pasó? Dónde estámos? Más esta_ _—"_ —something she couldn't understand about his brother— _"Fuimos atacados por_ _—"_ —she caught the words 'Cinderblock' and 'Johnny Rancid' and wondered briefly who they were— _"Y luego_ _—"_ —the syllables were a blur now and she couldn't straighten them out.

Argent bit her lip, wishing she remembered more of her high school Spanish classes. "Sorry," she mumbled. "My Spanish is a little rusty. Um…" She went over a mental recap of the boy's frantic rant. "I'm not sure what happened to your brother. They might be keeping him somewhere else."

This prompted yet another panicky burst from the young hero.

Argent held up her hands to try and calm him down. "Oy! Not so fast! I can't keep up!"

" _Pero dónde estámos?! Qué quieren ellos con nosotros?!"_ the little Spaniard cried.

Her face fell. She wanted to assure the lad that things would be all right. But she couldn't deny the uncertainty and the sinking feeling in her stomach. "I… I don't know," she told him.

A small whimper came from the other capsule.

Argent glanced back up and managed a smile of encouragement. "Now don't get your knickers in a twist just yet." More seriously, she asked, "What s'your name?"

"Menos," the boy replied ruefully.

"Well Menos," Argent said, "I don't suppose _you_ know anythin' about this 'Brotherhood of Evil' that's got ahold of us do ya?"

Menós launched into a lengthy explanation, punctuated with pantomimes to aid Argent's sub-par translation skills. Argent followed along as best she could.

Suddenly the floor underneath their capsules shifted. The jolt startled them and Menos, who had been standing, promptly toppled over. Argent stood to her feet apprehensively. The air around them grew brighter as they traveled along some kind of conveyor belt towards an opening at the far end. Argent couldn't see that far through it, but she guessed the room beyond was very large. The conveyor belt moved quickly—it wasn't long before she had passed through.

" _Señorita!"_ she heard Menos exclaim behind her. Argent glanced back through the opening but she couldn't see him anymore. Putting a hand on the glass to keep her balance, she surveyed the room uneasily. It was, as she suspected, quite spacious, the ceiling going up perhaps a hundred meters. Rafters lined the corners high above her head. Down below, the floor spread out in a black-and-white checkered pattern. Along one of the walls was a cluster of complicated-looking machinery. And along another, giant shelves. Lined up in neat rows along those shelves were blue-white figures, vaguely humanoid, all in various poses of distress.

That didn't bode well.

Directly opposite the wall of shelves was an elevated platform with two more figures standing on it. The first was some kind of… giant saltshaker or something. A skull-like visage was carved into its front. It looked decidedly unpleasant. She felt her stomach churning at the strange gray stuff she could see through the thing's clear glass head.

_Is that… someone's brain?_

Ew.

The second figure was a teenage boy, only a little younger than she was, with spiky black hair and a mask over his eyes. He was dressed in a red tunic and green pants, and a black-and-yellow cape covered his shoulders. His hands, sporting elbow-length green gloves, were encased in metal restraints.

Argent leaned forward in interest. Was that Robin? _The_ Robin? She thought she recognized him from the pictures she'd seen in the papers, and from occasionally catching his face on the news. She might have seen him on her new communicator too, briefly, though she'd been a little distracted by the giant robots shooting at her at the time. Her suspicions were confirmed when, as the glass capsule came to a stop right by the heavy machinery, the giant saltshaker thing spoke up.

"You. See. Robin," it said. "Thanks. To. You. We. Are. One. Step. Closer. To. Achieving. Total. World. Dominion."

Well _that_ thing's voice was ruddy awful.

"Once. The. Elimination. Of. The. Titans. Is. Complete," the grating artificial voice droned on. "There. Will. Be. No. One. To. Stop. Us. Admit. Your. Defeat. And. Your. Demise. Will. Be. Painless."

How long had that poor boy been listening to this guy? Only a few sentences and already she had a headache…

"I. Might. Even. Allow. You. To. Be. Absent. When. The. Last. Of. The. Titans. Are. Neutralized."

Annoying as the thing's voice may be, Argent still felt nervous at that ominous-sounding 'neutralized' on the end there.

Down on the platform, Robin remained silent, she noted with satisfaction.

 _That's the spirit lad. Don't give in,_ she mentally encouraged.

A new voice piped up, this one feminine and sultry. A dark-haired lady swathed in red leather had joined Robin and the saltshaker on the platform.

"It apeers he vould rather vatch." The lady clucked her tongue and then looked straight at her. "She vill make a lovely ice sculpture, no?"

Argent scowled. She definitely didn't like that _woman_ either. What the devil had she meant by ice—

The machinery behind her rumbled to life. She looked up, startled, as a menacing-looking nozzle-like device lowered over the opening at the top of her capsule.

Someone threw a switch, ice-blue mist sprayed down towards her—

She only had time to flinch and throw her arms above her head before everything went cold.

-TT-

Inside the restraints Robin's fists clenched even tighter, fingernails digging into the palms as he watched yet another Titan be frozen in front of him. His teeth ground against each other, his jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. It took all his restraint not to scream out all the obscenities he wanted to call the Brain at this moment. Slowly, he inhaled through his nose, trying to calm himself down. The glass capsule dropped away and the mist cleared. Argent was now just another still body encased in ice. Another…

He was fuming.

… _captured_ chess piece.

His "pawns" the Brain had called them. How dare the criminal mastermind make such a comparison! Maybe with villains, the lower-ranking operatives were just tools to achieve one's goal, used, discarded, and sacrificed at will. But the Titans weren't pawns to him. They were people. They were his friends. His family.

And that made it all the more painful watching his family be destroyed.

He looked across the empty space at the figures standing on the shelves. Speedy, Hot Spot, Wildebeest, Bushido… The network he had tried to build had fallen apart before him. For hours he'd been standing here, listening to the Brain gloating, as he was forced to watch every captive member of his team get turned into lifeless statues, trophies of war. He'd tried to hold onto hope, tried to tell himself that it couldn't be the end. _Someone_ , he thought, _someone_ ** _had_** _to have escaped. They're going to regroup, figure out where we are, and they're going to come get us._ The original Titans, his friends, hadn't been captured yet. He may not have known where they were or if they were okay, but he knew his friends. He knew they wouldn't give up. As long as they were still alive, still free, there was hope.

Robin said nothing as the conveyor belt started up again, and the last of the captured Titans, Menos, was put under the quick-freeze nozzle. The frightened little twin's eyes darted about. Professor Chang reached for the lever.

Robin closed his eyes. He couldn't watch this anymore.

There was a click, a loud _hiss!_ and a small yelp. His shoulders flinched, his hands twisted inside their cuffs. The internal metal bands clamped tightly around his wrists held firm. Robin breathed to remain calm, and then he opened his eyes.

Menos had joined the other Titans as a motionless ice-encrusted sculpture.

He was next, he supposed. But not right away. Seems the Brain had a bit more gloating to do. Robin tuned the buzzing mechanical voice out as he watched Professor Chang's henchmen scurry forward to move the frozen Menos to his designated spot on the lowest shelf. Just then, Monsieur Mallah climbed up on the platform with them.

"Our operatives are beginning to return," he informed the Brain.

The Titans' leader stiffened. The villains were returning to base? Did that mean… _No!_ he thought. Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven? Had they been taken? Had his last desperate action to protect a remnant of the Titans been in vain?

"And. The. Titans?" the Brain inquired. Robin held his breath.

Mallah shook his head. "Still unaccounted for. Our last reports suggest that many of them may have escaped."

Robin breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief.

"No. Matter," the Brain responded tonelessly. "They. Are. No. Longer. A. Threat. To. Our. Goal. The. Pawns. Are. Powerless. Without. Their. King."

His blood simmered. Robin fought the urge to shoot the Brain the glare his eyes held now. Again with the chess metaphor. He was going to go insane with fury if the villain brought it up one more time. The Brain was arrogant. And very, _gravely_ , mistaken.

As if he sensed the boy's thoughts, the Brain's normally emotionless tone took on a slightly vindictive edge.

"Now. You. See. Robin," he said, "How. Complete. Your. Defeat. Is. Without. Your. Leadership. The. Titans. Network. Will. Crumble. Your. Effort. To. Organize. A. Global. Team. Of. Heroes. Has. Failed. You. Have. Single. Handedly. Enabled. Us. The. Means. With. Which. To. Destroy. All. Those. Who. Oppose. Us."

The Brain was pulling no punches now as he put in the final taunt, and try as he might Robin could not block him out this time, because it was all true. This was _his_ fault. He was the one who'd put the Titans, everyone, in jeopardy. He was the one who gave the Brotherhood of Evil everything they needed to bring the fledgling Titans network to the ground. His friends were in danger because of him. They'd been captured and scattered because of him. They were frozen because of him. The self-loathing he felt now was only eclipsed by his rising anger at the sound of the Brain's spiteful gloating voice. His teeth ground harder and harder into each other. His pulse raced anxiously.

"It. Is. Only. A. Matter. Of. Time," the Brain pronounced coldly, "Before. Your. Friends. Join. Our. Collection."

He snapped. He whirled around and charged towards the Brain with a furious yell, his bound arms raised, wanting nothing more than to knock the villain over and bludgeon the glass casing until it shattered beneath his hands.

It was a wishful thought. Madame Rouge snagged him around his upper torso and yanked him back towards her. She held him tightly against her chest, rubbery arms stretching and wrapping around him for good measure. Robin kicked and struggled a little futilely.

"Take. Him. Away," the Brain droned.

Robin tugged on his restraints and on Rouge's secure grip as she half-carried, half-dragged him to the edge of the platform. "You haven't won Brain!" he spat out. "Not yet!"

The Brain thought he had everything figured out. He thought his victory was certain. But he was wrong. The Titans were _not_ going down like this. They would come back. They would keep fighting, down to the very last person. And this time they would _win._

 _-_ TT-

Unbeknownst to the Brain, to anyone inside the fortress, a lone white defender was leading four pawns through the corridors. And outside, somewhere, unseen, scattered white pieces were moving, coming together.

The Brain's strategy had not counted on the tenacity of these players.

Who were, at this moment, on their way to demonstrate to him precisely why the Titans were not chess pieces.

Checkmate.


	29. Game Over

The three of them trudged silently through the forest, none of them wanting to voice the fear they all felt; the fear that they were the only Titans left, that everyone else had been captured or…

Well, they didn't want to think about that either.

Cyborg was in the lead, scanning the vegetation for the familiar landmarks that led to their destination. Kole and Gnarrk followed along a few paces behind. The caveman's eyes were darting warily around their surroundings, suspicious of every unfamiliar rock and tree, and he hovered closely in the wake of his pink-haired companion. Kole stared straight ahead at Cyborg's receding back as they made their way. The only sound was their soft muted footsteps scuffing the dirt, and faint chirping from a pair of unseen birds in the forest canopy. The silence was uncomfortable, almost oppressive. The three teenagers felt an ever-increasing need to relieve the tension, but none of them knew what to say.

It was Kole who finally broke the silence.

"You think anyone will be there?"

Cyborg checked the readings in his arm while he answered. "Don't know. Everyone's tracking signal went offline after Robin's broadcast. Without the communicators, we have no way of knowing where and how anyone is."

"That means there's a possibility right? That someone escaped?" Kole asked. A trace of anxiety rose with her voice.

The homing beacon in Cyborg's arm started beeping. Cyborg turned to the side and pushed the overhanging ferns away with his free hand. They had arrived at a door in the middle of the forest, a door connected to a large metal bunker that served as an emergency base of operations for the Titans.

"Looks like we're about to find out," Cyborg said, lowering his arm and pushing past the ferns to open the door.

-TT-

Moments later, after walking through the long hallway beyond the entrance, Cyborg and his two followers passed through the second, inner door into the main room of the bunker.

A figure seated on the couch stood straight up and lifted into the air a little at the sudden _hiss!_ , bright glowing orbs appearing around her hands. As soon as she recognized the newcomers her face broke into a relieved smile.

"Cyborg!" she cried happily, streaking over the couch and floating over to him.

"Starfire!" Cyborg said, relief flooding over him as well. "You're all right?"

"I am undamaged," the alien princess replied, giving him a gentle hug. The young man patted the girl on the back, peeking over her crimson hair a bit to survey the room. Bumblebee and Red Star were there as well, floating in both far corners. As Starfire pulled away, Bumblebee flashed him a lopsided grin.

"Nice to see you alive Sparky."

"You too Bee," Cyborg told her. "Red Star." He acknowledged the hero with a nod, which Red Star returned.

Starfire reached to give Kole a hug as well. "I am happy to see you all well."

"Gnarrk and I are both fine, thanks to Cyborg," Kole explained, returning the gesture. "He managed to buy us the time we needed to get away."

The half-robot shrugged. "Gnarrk did most of the work, actually, by leading us to the way out. All I did was generate a couple holograms to throw Gizmo and Billy Numerous off the trail," he admitted.

Gnarrk ducked his head bashfully at the praise. "Gnarrk gn-arrk gnarrkgnarrk."

"We had a pretty close call, though," Kole added softly, gaze becoming distant.

The Tamaranian nodded, unconsciously rubbing a welt on her arm from Kitten's electric whip. "And we as well." She straightened and turned to Cyborg. "Your communicator," she queried anxiously, "is it also—?"

Cyborg grimly held up the dead, nonfunctional device.

Her face fell. "Oh," she said inadequately. The mood of the room suddenly turned very somber, the brief happiness brought on by Cyborg, Kole, and Gnarrk's arrival fading swiftly away at the reminder of their predicament. Starfire had ceased floating and stood quietly hugging herself with her arms.

Kole took out her own broken communicator and looked at it glumly. "Guess calling for reinforcements is out of the question, huh?"

"Great," Bumblebee groaned, dropping to the floor. "How're we supposed to contact anyone if our communicators don't work?"

Starfire's eyes flicked over to Cyborg, who stepped forward. "I have a separate radio built into my arm," he announced, tapping the device. "It's on a different frequency than the others so it wasn't affected by the signal. I've already tried it though," Cyborg relayed soberly. "None of the communicators are responding. Robin's last broadcast triggered some kind of self-destruct in the internal circuitry. He stopped the Brotherhood from being able to track us, but…" He trailed off and let the cracked dark screen of his Titans communicator speak for him.

Red Star, Starfire, and Bumblebee all exchanged significant looks that Cyborg couldn't decipher the meaning of. He glanced back at Kole and Gnarrk but they only shrugged, just as clueless as he was.

"This is very bad news," Red Star was muttering. The Russian locked eyes across the room with Starfire. "Suppose they find out where the Brotherhood is keeping our friends. How are they to send word to us?"

The alien princess leapt to reassure him. "I am certain that Beast Boy will find a way." Her faith in the changeling was evident in the inflection of her voice.

"Beast Boy?" Cyborg repeated, uncomprehending. Realizing her friend's confusion, Starfire floated over to the table and plucked a small piece of paper off it, then quickly breezed back and handed it over to him. Cyborg took the piece, upon which was a note written in the changeling's messy but recognizable scrawl.

It read:

_Gone to pick up the Brotherhood's trail._

_Took Herald, Pantha, Más, and Jericho with me._

_Will return if we can't find anything._

_-BB_

_That little grass stain…_ He'd gone off and run headlong to face his old team's arch-nemeses. The cybernetic teen gave an aggravated sigh. "Figures," he grumbled, crumpling the note in his palm. "Could've at least told us where he went." He dropped the piece on the floor.

A long silence followed.

"So… we're just gonna wait here hoping they call or come back?" Bumblebee guessed, folding her arms and leaning against the wall.

He wished they had another option. He really did. Waiting drove him crazy. He wanted nothing more than to rush into battle with the Brotherhood and teach them a few things about messing with his family. He had his section of the T-ship still. The other three could fly alongside and he already knew he could fit Kole and Gnarrk in with him.

Without knowing where to look though, it was just as useless as the dead communicator in his hands.

The other Titans stood quietly, deferring to his leadership and waiting for his answer.

His mouth straightened into a thin line.

"Looks like."

-TT-

The Titans remnant passed the time mostly in silence, pacing back and forth, taking to the air when that wasn't enough. The more mechanically inclined among them went around the bunker making sure everything was there and running properly. Short accounts of escape were traded. Kole and Gnarrk sat on one end of the couch together, playing a game with sticks gathered from outside. Bumblebee had decided to try and get some sleep, and was currently splayed face-down across one of the lower bunks in the side room. Red Star and Cyborg both knelt by the table, attempting to fix the team's communicators. Starfire floated in the air above them, fretting ever more anxiously as the minutes passed.

"Have you tried Robin's?" she asked them suddenly.

They glanced up at her, puzzled.

"His communicator," she clarified. "Since it originated the signal perhaps it was also undamaged by its effects."

"I hadn't thought of that," Cyborg confessed, scratching his chin a bit before shaking his head. "Even if it still worked," he said, "I don't think Robin's in a position to answer."

Her brows furrowed; her wide eyes were bewildered and perplexed. "Why not?" she asked, a hint of worry creeping into her tone.

Kole looked up from her game. "You didn't hear his last call?"

The Tamaranian dipped her head. "I am afraid I lost my communicator before then," she explained.

"It's not good, Star," Cyborg told her, frowning bleakly. "I can hear Madame Rouge in the background."

An expression of distress flashed across her face. She settled down lightly on the floor, biting her lip, her eyes troubled. Red Star stood to his feet, touching a hand to her arm in concern.

"Starfire? Are you all right?"

Her face looked pale. He could feel her shaking. "I feel ill…" she pronounced weakly. Red Star sat her down on the couch before her knees gave out and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"It will be all right," he whispered in her ear reassuringly, rubbing her upper arm. "You will see."

She murmured gratefully, but otherwise said nothing.

At that moment a phone in the bunker rang.

The Titans all jumped, startled, and snapped their heads as one in the direction of the intrusive sound. Bumblebee rubbed her eyes blearily as she sat up on her bunk. After a few moments Cyborg got up and walked over to the wall jack where the phone was mounted. He paused, uncertain. The eyes of everyone in the room watched him nervously.

He lifted the receiver to his ear.

"Uh… hello?" he called hesitantly.

_"Collect call to Titans Tower. Your pizza delivery is here,"_ a dry voice deadpanned.

Cyborg nearly dropped the phone in joy. "Raven?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Man is it ever good to hear your voice! Where are you?"

He found out a few seconds later when a large patch of floor turned black and a screeching bird shape emerged and swirled to reveal the empath, Kid Flash, the three children she'd babysat once, and their giant teddy bear guardian. Raven was holding a mobile phone to her ear and smirked as she flipped it shut.

"That answer your question?"

Over on the couch Starfire's eyes visibly brightened. She leapt up, ran to her friend, and threw her arms around her. "Oh Raven!" she cried. "I was afraid I would not see you ever again!"

Raven grimaced at Starfire's crushing grip but managed to collect herself once the alien princess let go, only to be captured in another hug from Kole.

"How'd you get away?" the pink haired girl asked excitedly.

"Tossing a spell-caster familiar with inter-dimensional travel through a portal? Please," Raven replied, rolling her eyes. "They practically _let_ me escape."

" _I_ wanna know where you got that phone," Bumblebee said as she came up, wings buzzing and smiling broadly.

The empath waved nonchalantly. "Borrowed it from the monastery when I went to pick up the kids."

"They have cell phones?"

"They're monks, Cyborg, not hermits."

The half-robot rubbed his head sheepishly. "Right," His tone turned serious. "Listen Rae—we need help. The network is down, all the communicators fried, a good portion of the Titans probably captured. BB is out with a group of his own trying to track down the Brotherhood of Evil's base. With no way to contact him though, we don't know where that is."

"I know where that is," a small voice interrupted.

Cyborg and Raven looked down towards their feet. Melvin stood there innocently, as though she'd only revealed she knew the directions to the library instead of the location of their biggest villain threat's fortress.

Raven glanced around the room at the other Titans, just as dumbfounded at the announcement as she was. "You do?" she said skeptically.

Melvin scratched her ear. "Uh-huh. We were playing in the tunnels once and accidentally found it. The mean stretchy lady chased us. That's why Mommy and Daddy sent us away."

All at once Cyborg was kneeling by the little girl, who shied away, startled. "Listen—Melvin right?" She nodded meekly. Cyborg spoke in an urgent, but very gentle voice. "Melvin, our friends are in trouble. We really need to find them. Will you tell us where you remember the Brotherhood's fortress is?"

The six-year-old felt nervous at how the bigger Titans were crowding around her. She pointed at her brother. "Timmy knows."

Cyborg turned to the younger boy. "Timmy?"

Timmy clutched his blanket and tugged on Raven's cape. The empath got down to his level and he whispered in her ear.

The Titans held their breath.

Raven's face broke into a smile. "No Timmy, you won't get in trouble at all. In fact," she said, straightening up, "when this is over, you can stay up late and have extra dessert." She faced her friends, raising her hands. "We're going to Paris," she announced, the black aura already spreading around her palms.

The remnant of the Titans looked around at each other with wide, excited eyes, and then broke into celebration, eagerly readying themselves to face their enemy and rescue their comrades.

"Booyah!"

"All right!"

"Glorious!"

"Gnarrk!"

"Bring it on!"

"Aw, now? But I haven't had a chance to say hi to everyone yet!" Kid Flash complained as the aura surrounded them and whisked them away.

-TT-

It was dark and the only sound he could hear was the Brain's voice droning away in the distance, and the roars of approval from the audience that had gathered to witness. Robin sat curled in a fetal position inside the glass capsule, his head buried in his arms, trying not to think about how much he hated himself right now.

He'd already tried breaking the glass, so he knew that escape was pretty much impossible at this point. All he could do now was hope for rescue.

If anyone was still left.

_Come on_ , his inner "Starfire" voice reprimanded. _Stop guilt-tripping yourself. The Titans are okay. They escaped, and they're on their way here right now._

He sighed.

_At least I hope so…_

The crowd outside was getting louder in pitch and fervor. It must be getting close to the time he'd be brought out. Soon he'd be lined up on the shelves with the others, frozen, lifeless, the blood cold and still in his veins.

He shook himself out of contemplating his fate, his mind drifting back to the Titans. He wondered where they were. Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire…

Oh gosh, Starfire… he hoped she was okay. The last thing he'd heard from her communicator had been the crack of a whip and her scream of pain. He'd nearly given himself a panic attack, actually, calling out everyone's names ever more frantically as they stopped responding and only the frenzied sounds of combat came through. Of course then he'd been attacked himself, and that had forced to him to focus pretty quickly.

He replayed his battle against Madame Rouge over in his head, analyzing the details. Was there any other way he could have ended that fight?

No, he decided, sorting though all the various scenarios and then shoving them aside. The Brain knew what he was doing when he sent Rouge after him. Nothing Robin could have done would have stopped her. All other options still led to him being cornered and captured. He'd done the best he could hotwiring that self-destruct signal to every Titan's communicator, stopping the Brotherhood from being able to track them.

So why didn't he feel reassured?

Robin lifted up his chin and rested it on his forearms. The hopeful little voice inside him struggled feebly to break through his melancholy. He tuned it out, listening instead to the Brain's artificial monotone.

Strangely enough, the villain's monologuing out in the chamber incited defiance inside him, instead of despair.

He blamed it on the cocky tone. Only Slade's gloating could ever truly unnerve him. This just made him laugh. The Brain was going on and on about how brilliant his decisions and leadership had been, how strong and unstoppable the Brotherhood was, how clever he was to have defeated Robin's strategy.

_Right,_ the Boy Wonder sniffed. _Congratulations Brain; you outsmarted a teenager._

It was actually scathingly funny now that he thought about it.

"And," the Brain announced suddenly above the din. "For. Your. Part. A. Gift."

The conveyor belt started up. Robin got up, placing his hands on the glass, his brows narrowed with cool determination. This was it.

The light grew as he neared the opening. The Brain's voice said, "I. Give. You… Robin."

The crowd cheered.

-TT-

_Have to hurry, have to hurry, have to hurry_ … the thought pounded in Beast Boy's head over and over as he and his small rag-tag team of Honorary Titans raced through the halls of the Brotherhood of Evil's base.

The changeling pumped his legs as hard as they could go in human form. His mind raced frantically. Private Hive had said they were about to freeze Robin. Maybe there was still a chance they could get there in time to stop it. Even if they couldn't, surely they'd see where the Titans were being kept and be able to rescue them. There would be a mess of villains to fight for sure, but he hoped they'd be distracted, caught off-guard. They hadn't exactly been quiet when they'd taken out those crooks back down the hallway.

_Come on, move it!_ his mind shouted at him. His friends were in there and they needed his help.

He rounded the corner to see a large door at the end, one he guessed led into the main chamber, the very heart of the fortress. The other four kept close pace behind him as he pounded towards it.

"Door…" Pantha warned.

"Robin's not the only one with flash bombs," Beast Boy replied sternly, not flinching or breaking stride as he reached into his pocket and took out a small round capsule he'd hurriedly stuffed in there as they were leaving the hideout. He drew his arm back and hurled it at the door.

A bright orange explosion flared in front of their vision and pieces of shrapnel flew everywhere. The Titans ran through the smoke and into the chamber, skidding to a halt behind Beast Boy as the changeling stopped and yelled out, "All right Brain! You're going—"

A single spotlight turned on over their heads.

"—down…" finished Beast Boy weakly, looking around the room and realizing how staggeringly outnumbered they were. In the shadows all around them the eyes of almost every villain they'd ever faced shone gleefully. Derisive laughter floated around their heads.

Beast Boy fumed, the heat rising to his cheeks as he realized they'd been expecting him. Stupid Private Hive remembering Cinderblock couldn't talk. He clenched his fists tightly. "What's so funny?" he demanded. But he already knew the answer. They were laughing at _him_. He and his rag-tag team, his dramatic entrance, his pathetic little heroic effort, were hilarious to them. They thought he was a _joke_. Like everyone always did.

Madame Rouge's husky laugh came from behind and above them. "The five ohf you against all ohf them? Even _I_ find tat amusing."

The furious shape-shifter ignored the sniggering as he whirled around and narrowed his attention on the elevated platform where the Brain and his generals—Rouge, Mallah, Immortus—were standing.

"Tell me where our friends are!" he shouted.

"Little. Green. One," the Brain chortled condescendingly. "You. Always. Try. So. Hard. And. Always. Fail. So. Completely."

Beast Boy inhaled a slow deep breath through his teeth, willing away his rage so he wouldn't do anything stupid. He had to hand it to the Brain—the thing knew exactly which buttons to push to demoralize his opponents.

"This. Time. Will. Be. No. Exception."

" _Where are they?!"_ he screamed.

"Vould you like to say hello?" asked Madame Rouge, spreading her hand out towards the far wall. A light went up and Beast Boy's throat went dry. Titans lined the wide shelves, all lifeless and unmoving, frozen in ice. His heart crept up into his throat as his eyes scanned over the figures. Speedy, Aqualad, Thunder…

Beside him Más let out a horrified cry.

"Menos!"

The shape-shifter's eyes came to rest on Robin. "No…" he gasped. Not Robin too… He'd blown it. He'd failed. If he had just been a little sooner, faster, stronger…

"Oh, but eet seems you are too late," Madame Rouge cooed in mock sympathy.

The changeling glared at the host of villains surrounding him. So that was it then. He posed no threat at all. He was just a nuisance to them, a pesky little cockroach about to be stomped on and thoroughly squashed.

Beast Boy gritted his teeth.

Not this time. Those were his friends up there and he wasn't going to give up without trying.

He curled his fingers into a fist. "I think we can take them," he growled.

Pantha cracked her knuckles.

"I think you are correct."

-TT-

Cyborg motioned for the Titans to regroup. One by one the teenagers slipped into the closest dark alley out of sight from the men guarding the entrance. The Brotherhood's fortress had been ridiculously easy to find once they had arrived in Paris. They hadn't even needed the directions Melvin and Timmy offered.

Raven decided she was definitely going to snark on the Brotherhood for that.

She listened quietly as they gathered around Cyborg. The half-robot glanced around to make sure they were alone, then whispered, "All right, this is how it's gonna be: There's a large room about fifteen meters below the surface. Sensors indicate a lot of people down there. My guess is that's where we'll find the Brotherhood. Starfire,"—he turned to the Tamaranian—"I want you to take Red Star and Bumblebee and come in through the roof."

She nodded.

"Kid Flash, you storm the main entrance."

Kid Flash saluted.

"Kole and Gnarrk,"—they straightened as Cyborg addressed them—"there's a tunnel that runs right up underneath the main chamber. We're going down into it, then up through the floor.

Raven perked to attention as her friend shifted focus to her.

"Raven," he told her, "I want you to take—Where'd Kid Flash go?"

The empath looked around where the speedster had been a moment before, but was now nowhere to be seen. She shrugged.

Two loud _ooofs!_ came from the direction of the Brotherhood's fortress and in a blink Kid Flash had returned.

"Sorry boss," he apologized. "You were saying?"

Cyborg waved him off, shaking his head. "Never mind. Anyway Raven, you take Bobby and the kids up through the back. On my signal…" he finished, "…we blast through. Titans—"

They stood.

"Go!"

-TT-

Okay, so he'd really overestimated their chances, Beast Boy thought as Johnny Rancid held him pinned against the floor with his foot. At least this time it had been due to the sheer number of opponents rather than not trying hard enough. He was proud of his little team actually. They'd put up a valiant fight. Probably the best fight he'd ever been in, even if it _had_ been hopelessly one-sided. It had still taken effort on the part of the villains to subdue the five desperate teenagers. If he died right now knowing his last act was being a thorn in the Brotherhood's side, he could be content.

He really wished he could've won though.

"Madame. Rouge," the Brain said. "Add. Them. To. The. Collection."

Beast Boy felt the villainess's hands yanking him out from under Johnny Rancid and the next moment found himself inches away from her sneering face.

"Any final vords?" she taunted.

The changeling was about to tell her something decidedly impolite, but stopped when he heard a crumbling sound below him. He looked down in confusion, and then around the room. That couldn't be any of the villains—they were all still accounted for.

The crumbling came again louder. The floor cracked under Rouge's feet.

Titans.

Beast Boy's heroic resolve returned full force.

Oh yeah. He was totally going to save the day this time.

"Yeah," he said, eyes narrow. "I wouldn't stand there if I were you." With that he morphed into a fly and zipped away just as a large explosion of blue sonic energy ripped through the floor.

Madame Rouge went flying.

A metal foot set down on the rim of the hole the checkerboard floor now sported. The young man's face was set into a firm mask of determination.

"Lesson number one…" Cyborg started.

-TT-

Frozen as she was, Argent couldn't move or speak. She _was_ , however, dimly aware of what was going on around her. She wasn't entirely sure of the specifics, but she was pretty certain a battle was going on and that one side was decidedly _losing_. Badly. Although this time the side that had been winning before was losing now. She couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. A brilliant white flash filled her vision and suddenly—

She wasn't frozen.

Argent blinked. The sounds of the battle now drifted up clearly, filling her ears. She peeked over the edge of the shelf.

Several things happened very quickly.

She noticed a bunch of teenagers fighting against a large group of people.

She recognized Starfire among the teenagers.

And the unpleasant dark-haired woman among the larger group.

She realized the people the teenagers were fighting against had to be villains.

She glanced at her fellow Titans on the shelves.

Then she shrugged, powered up her hands, and went to join the melee.

-TT-

Down below the battle raged on. One by one, the formerly frozen Titans charged up their powers, and sailed off the shelves and into the fray. Those without powers either shot out some kind of line, or just jumped off into the empty space. All except one.

Robin stood on the edge of the bottom shelf, searching the faces in the crowd anxiously. His heart leapt in relief when he spotted the familiar flush of red hair floating above the conflict, the graceful form it belonged to still very much in one piece, even after slamming Madame Rouge into the wall beneath him.

"Starfire!" he called.

Her head jerked up towards him. Her expression lit up.

He smiled. "I could use a hand."

She sailed up towards him, giving him a highly welcome rib-crushing hug before she took his hand and flew them down to the combat.

-TT-

The air was filled with explosions and flying bodies. Limbs and blasts of power crashed into each other. The ranks of the villains steadily dwindled. Everywhere she looked, young heroes who barely knew each other were functioning as a cohesive unit, tag-teaming, coming to each other's rescue, taking on villains together. An older lad whom Argent swore she recognized from somewhere even tackled her out of the way of a laser blast from a large yellow-and-red robot and blasted the felon away with a stream of fire.

Argent promptly returned the favor by smashing an oversized plasma hammer into the chest of an amphibious humanoid charging towards him.

She glanced briefly towards the elevated platform above the fighting. Her friend Starfire, Robin, and a few others were up there, surrounding the thing that looked like a saltshaker and a giant gorilla. She would have liked to watch longer but a little pink-haired girl in a darling blue miniskirt suddenly required her assistance to avoid getting squashed by a robotic villain with arms like a steamroller. Argent flicked the villain off course with her powers, and then went looking for the cantankerous older git that had captured her.

-TT-

The Brain could not believe what his visual implants were seeing.

Against all odds, against even all logic, his hereto-for unstoppable coalition of villains was losing. To a group of _teenagers_. Half their size. And led by the most pathetic and incompetent one of them all. Beast Boy, that pestilential green runt constantly trailing on the heels of the Doom Patrol and his worthy foe Mento.

To say the Brain was ticked off would be a massive understatement.

At least defeating the infinitely more capable Titans leader Robin and crushing his fledgling network was a satisfying challenge. But this? This was embarrassing.

He decided he was going to leave with his dignity intact.

And not before leaving a parting gift to rid himself of the young Titans for good. As Mallah carried him up the scaffolding and away from the Teen Titans, he remotely activated the fusion bomb. Satisfied that it would all be over soon, he only waited to escape the humiliating situation.

-TT-

"He is _not_ getting away," Beast Boy declared, shifting into a pterodactyl and taking off after the retreating form of Mallah. Robin ran behind and underneath him, shooting off a grapple line. The cord pulled taut and Robin was soon riding straight towards the ceiling after the changeling.

The two soon overtook the Brain and his henchman. Monsieur Mallah looked up in surprise as he found the way blocked by both of them.

The tables had turned. Behind them, countless white defenders busy sweeping the board of black pieces. Before them, Robin and Beast Boy, the alpha and omega Titans, holding them in check. The Brain may have thought his fusion device would stop them, but neither the shape-shifter nor the Boy Wonder were fazed. They both knew their friends could handle it.

The game was already over.

The formerly crushed Titans network was reborn and taking flight.

All that was left now was to capture the king.

Robin's expression was steely and cool as he uttered the final, completely accurate statement:

"It's over Brain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO I DO HAVE A FEW NOTES ON THIS ONE.
> 
> First off, wow it was a monster. At the time it felt like the longest chapter I'd done to that point. ("How Did They Survive?" is actually a smidge longer by a couple hundred words but whatever.) And I was really, really proud of it when I was finished.
> 
> I tried to touch on as many characters as I could and fill in a few unanswered questions. Namely, how did the other Titans make it to the hideout just in time for the Big Damn Heroes moment. The simplest answer also gave a reason for why the heck the Tot Titans were being so unrelentingly pursued by the Brotherhood and needing the Titans' protection.
> 
> And of course I had to devote POV to my fav Honorary, Argent.
> 
> Halfway to the finish line, readers. We'll revisit this massive battle thing again.


	30. Metamorphosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In keeping with the Season Five trend...

The caverns underneath Jump City were almost quieter than usual. Very little had changed. The walls still stood silent and unmoving. The air was still lifeless and dead. And the stone figure on the pedestal was still frozen, limbs spread in their position of release, the eyes closed, the plaque in front of it gathering a layer of dust and earth.

A sudden bright white flash panned across the cavern. When it passed over the statue, a smaller secondary yellow flash joined it. The white brilliance phased through the walls, leaving the cavern dark once more.

Strangely enough, for several days after that, nothing else out of the ordinary happened. Then, about a week after the strange phenomenon, a faint golden glow lit up the darkness, emanating from the effigy. The glow spread over the statue's limbs. It seeped down into the surface. Hard rock became soft flesh.

With a final muted flare the light faded and a small pale figure tumbled to the ground.

Stringy blonde hair splayed around her head. She lifted her face from the floor and her empty lungs inhaled a gasping first breath. Slowly she exhaled, slowly inhaled again. The hereto-for unused organs gradually found a steady rhythm. Her mind was utterly blank. All she knew was the sound of her breath, the feel of the soft dirt beneath her. And the cold. She shivered and drew her hands up to her arms, rubbing them. Her eyes lifted and peered at the gloom surrounding her.

Where… who was she? How did she get here? The questions rang out in her mind but were met with a wall of blankness. She looked around the cavern. Didn't seem the friendliest place. Too quiet, full of a lingering… something… Goosebumps prickled her arms and she shuddered and rubbed them again. She felt something come loose. Her gaze darted down to see the tattered remnants of some kind of… suit. A piece had broken off, leaving the skin beneath pink and bare. She reached a hesitant hand towards another dangling strip. She had gloves on, she noticed, as she pinched the loose piece in her fingers. It crumbled, dissolving into dust in her hands.

Memories were slowly trickling back, creeping in through a tiny crack in her mental wall. She saw flashes. A giant 'T' shape. A lone probing eye. A boy with green skin. Robots. Mirrors. None of it made sense. She grabbed her head as it started to ache. She tried to concentrate on the flashes but she only got more jumbled images. Why couldn't she remember?

A dawning awareness broke upon her.

She… she'd done something hadn't she? Something terrible. Was that why she was down here?

Taking another look around she decided she didn't really like it here. Gingerly she got up and stood awkwardly to her feet. She wobbled a little. Her knees shook as she stumbled away from the pedestal, towards what she hoped was an exit.

Bits and pieces of her ragged clothing peeled off and floated to the floor in her wake.

-TT-

The bright sunlight hurt her eyes. She blinked over and over until they finally adjusted to the too-bright light. Even then, she had to squint. She staggered a few times, knees stiff from disuse.

At least it was warm out here. Although with the rate her clothing was disintegrating that could soon change. She turned down a narrow alleyway between two apartment complexes. The alleyway was crowded with dumpsters. She stopped a brief moment, tilted her head. There was an old worn blanket on the top of the pile in one of them. Eagerly she took it and wrapped it around her. There. Now she felt moderately decent. She stepped out of the alley, newly covered in soft wool. She didn't recognize this street. Didn't recognize anything actually. She was barely even aware of her surroundings. Yet she kept moving, didn't stop to think about where she was going, or if she was going anywhere. The questions that should have been circling around in her head were absent. All she knew was that she was walking, and the blanket was fuzzy, and the sun was warm, and there were buildings all around her.

Unconsciously, with a dazed expression on her face, she wandered along the streets, paying no heed to the few passersbys who gave her strange looks, the occasional honk from an annoyed driver. As she traveled, her mind listlessly played through some of the flashes, just re-watching them, not even trying to figure out what they meant. It hurt her head too much to do that. It was hurting her head now to even remember the flashes, the questions she'd had upon waking. Her mind was becoming numb, letting them slip and fade. Her senses dulled. Step after step and the only sound was her breathing and the muted city noises and the blanket enveloped her like a warm cocoon.

"Are you lost?" a voice suddenly broke in.

She blinked and started. It took her a while to register the older woman standing in front of her, concern dominating her features.

Her mind was slow. She couldn't process the question. "I…" She hesitated. A response refused to come out of her mouth. She searched the clutter of her brain for it, but she couldn't find it again. It had vanished like the brief flashes of memory. "Huh?" she finally said.

The woman's eyebrows scrunched worriedly. She stepped forward. "Here sweetie, let's get you to the police station," she said, taking the bewildered girl's arm and leading her down the sidewalk. The girl allowed the woman to direct her, clutching the worn blanket tighter as she watched the buildings idly pass by.

-TT-

Soon, so soon she barely even noticed it, she was sitting in a chair in the county office while policemen bustled about around her. The air buzzed with their comings and goings and she followed them with her eyes as they breezed through the doors and past the desks—including the one she now sat by. She was slightly more aware of her surroundings now. She could see the details of the room. Billboard on the far wall with news clippings and wanted posters. Coffee mug on the desk beside her, half full. Stapler to the left of that. Lamp lit. The faint smell of donuts.

Something inside was trying to convince her uncomprehending mind that this was a bad place for her.

_You did something terrible remember? You shouldn't be here._

She didn't listen. She couldn't remember what she'd done and… it felt safe here. Everyone was so nice. Miss Thomas—that was the officer who owned the desk she sat by—had even gone off in search of some fresh clothes for her. She lifted her gaze from the crack in the floor she'd been memorizing and let it drift around the room again. The lighting, the hustle and bustle… something about it was strangely comforting. So she stayed put. She didn't feel like running away anyway. Where would she go anyways? Not like she knew where anything was.

Miss Thomas was coming back now. The girl watched her approach.

_I don't want to leave_ , she told herself. _I don't want to run away._

She closed her eyes and sighed.

_And I don't want to remember anything._

"Here ya go sweetie," Miss Thomas said, setting a neat pile of folded clothes on her lap. "Don't have much in your size down at the department store," she explained apologetically. "You're very thin."

"Yeah… guess I don't eat that much," the girl replied, brushing the shirt on the top of the pile with her fingers.

Andrea Thomas stepped back and took another long look at her. The girl seemed less confused now, more alert and conscious of her surroundings. A change from how she'd been when they'd brought her in. Her face had been so blank, her eyes so dead… She was glad to see a small spark of life had returned to them. She nodded her head towards one of the doors.

"Bathroom's there." she told the girl. "Lemme know if you need anything when you get out, 'kay?"

"Okay." the girl acknowledged, clutching the clothes to her chest and standing up. She started for the bathroom, but then heard Miss Thomas calling out after her.

"Hey, what's your name honey?"

"Terra." The reply came automatically, without her realizing it. She stood there blinking for a minute. Where had that come from?

Andrea pulled out a small notebook and jotted something down on it. "T…a…r…a… gotcha. We'll see if we can find your folks hon." The female officer started to walk away.

"No it's—" the girl almost corrected. She stopped. Her head was hurting again. Something was pushing against her mental barrier, tugging at the strings of her conscious awareness. A dark and heavy sense of memory pressed against her wall, threatening to make it give. It loomed over her like a crushing weight she could practically feel.

When she hesitated, uncertain, the pressure started to let up. After a tense moment it began to dissipate. She kept her thoughts still, letting the memory slip away.

_I don't want to remember_ , she reminded herself.

"Actually," she said aloud. "Tara's fine." One 'r' two 'r's, 'e' or 'a' what did it matter? It probably wouldn't make much of a difference.

Andrea nodded and sauntered off, notebook in hand.

The girl turned back around. She stepped over to the bathroom door and pulled it open. A faint floral smell met her nose. She breathed in the scent deeply. It felt fresh, homey… like how the air smelled after a rainstorm. Made her feel at ease.

She paused on her way to the stalls, catching sight of herself in the mirror. She studied her reflection intently. Wow. She _was_ thin. Pale too. How long had she been underground?

As she gazed at the frail, pallid blonde-haired girl in the mirror, she suddenly felt the pressure returning behind her wall. She cringed. It was stronger this time. The mirror... something about the mirror… mirrors… she hated mirrors… her reflection… a room full of reflections… dozens of scared girls with wide horrified eyes staring back at her…

She closed her eyes tightly, pushing back the memory. _I don't want to remember,_ she chanted over and over in her mind, willing the image back into the dark recesses of her psyche. _I don't want to remember. I don't want to remember. I don't want to_ —

The pressure eased up.

She breathed a sigh of relief and opened her eyes, making sure to avoid looking at the mirror. That had been a close one. She held the new clothes tighter and slipped into one of the stalls. Letting the blanket fall to the floor, she sat down on the edge of the toilet and exhaled deeply.

… _Why am I doing this?_ she wondered. _Why do I want so badly to forget?_

She knew she'd done something. The barrier in her mind couldn't keep that from her. A picture was stuck before her eyes, a scene from one of her flashes. It showed a ruined city, silent and gray. Somehow, she knew… she was responsible for it.

_Maybe…_ _maybe it's a good thing I don't remember_ , she thought. _Maybe it's better this way… I can start over…_

The more she considered it, the more certain she grew. She wanted to start over. Her mind knew it. The barrier was there for a reason. It was there to keep all her past secrets locked away, safely hidden from everyone… including herself. It was there so she could forget whatever it was that she'd done and start anew. Her old life had died. Her memory had been wiped clean. There wasn't any point in finding out who she'd been. As far as she knew, she hadn't existed before waking up in that underground chamber that morning.

She was a new person, inside and out. And for the first time in what she thought might have been her whole life… she felt _free._

A strange exhilaration coursed through her. Her spirits lifted. She breathed in a lungful of the clean, fresh air, stood up, and shed the last remnants of her clothing.

-TT-

"No hits on her fingerprints," the older man muttered. "No record of any missing persons matching her description. Nothing on file for her either. No birth certificate, no hospital records."

"You can't find _anything_ on her?" the chief exclaimed incredulously. "Anything at all?"

The officer sighed. "If we had a last name we might be able to find something but as it is, we've got nothing."

"So she wasn't born here, doesn't attend school, doesn't have a home residence, hasn't visited a hospital, and apparently doesn't remember anything before coming here, is that what we're saying?"

A junior officer with sandy blonde hair spoke up. "We can try analyzing the metal in her suit. What's left of it anyway, if it doesn't completely crumble in the meantime. And we could run her picture through facial recognition software, see what comes up."

"For all intents and purposes though, she just showed up at our office," the chief concluded gruffly.

The junior officer ducked his head. "Looks that way sir."

The chief grunted, lowering his coffee cup. "Well get on it. We've got other things to worry about than an amnesiatic fifteen-year-old." He shuffled off, leaving the small group standing there awkwardly. After a minute Andrea Thomas shifted her attention to one of the people in the back of the group—a graying middle-aged officer named Taylor.

"I can try looking her up on the internet," she offered. "See if she's got any parents."

"Actually—" a young voice broke in. The three policemen turned to see a teenage girl standing there, swimming a little in her loose black t-shirt and baggy jeans. The girl brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's okay," she said. "I don't think I have any parents."

Andrea stared. Somehow, in the five or so minutes she'd been in the bathroom, the girl had undergone a complete transformation. It was as though the timid, quiet, bewildered girl who'd come into the office had vanished and been replaced by a vibrant, smiling young lady. Her once dull eyes were bright. Her spine was straighter. Why, she even looked like she'd gained some color in her cheeks. Andrea shook her head. It was almost surreal.

"Any other relatives we can contact?" she asked.

The girl shrugged. "Dunno."

"Any friends?" she probed further.

"Dunno."

"Where do ya live?"

"Dunno."

"You don't know anything do ya?"

She laughed, a light airy laugh. "Guess not." She tugged on her shirt. "Hey, do you know where the closest shelter is? I'd get an apartment but I don't have any money."

Andrea exchanged a look of shock with her fellow officers. "But hon, we haven't found anything yet," she protested.

"I don't think you will. I moved around a lot. I'm pretty much homeless," the girl explained casually.

The older woman came and took the young lady by her shoulders, kneeling down on her level and looking her straight in the eyes. "You sure? There's no one looking for you? No one at all?"

A flash came unbidden to her. Five oddly dressed teenagers sitting around a table. The giant 'T' shape. She shook it off. "I'm sure."

Andrea blew out a long breath between her lips. "Okay, well… My husband Bill and I have an extra bedroom… you mind staying with us for a few days?"

The girl nodded. "Sure."

The woman straightened and turned back to her superiors. "I'll take her home and then come right back to help with the search okay?"

"We'll let the chief know, Thomas. Don't worry," Taylor said.

Miss Thomas nudged the girl towards the entrance. "Let's go sweetie."

The two walked out of the office, through the large foyer, and then out the double doors and down the steps towards the parking lot. When the sunlight hit her face, the girl smiled and closed her eyes contentedly, enjoying the heat of it on her skin. A light breeze drifted through her hair. The pavement made a soft crunching beneath her sneakers.

It was a brand new day and she couldn't be more happy.


	31. Off Day

Bumblebee collapsed gratefully into the soft welcoming cushions of the couch. It was 10pm, the end of a _very_ long day. Now that Speedy and Aqualad had gone to get the twins ready for bed (finally), the silence in the room was positively blissful. Bumblebee allowed herself a contented sigh and a moment to close her eyes, lean back against the cushions, and just breathe in the stillness.

After about a minute or so, after her head had cleared and she had regained a slightly less frazzled mental state, she opened her eyes and propped her laptop onto her knees, flicking it on. Despite the late hour and how much she really just wanted to go to bed and sleep off the stress of the day's events, there were still reports to be filed. She opened up her activities log and started typing.

" _Two bank robberies,"_ she wrote. _"Several smaller attempted heists, another raid by the Rail Gang,"_ —what amounted basically to their version of Titans West's Hive Five she'd decided— _"and Steamroller broke out of prison again. Note to self to schedule talk with Steel City police chief about improving security at SCMSDC."_ (Steel City's Maximum Security Detainment Center, a prison built specially for giant robots, metahumans, and all manner of supervillainy. One that Bumblebee had sarcastically labeled Arkham Jr., after one too many high-level jailbreaks.)

Bumblebee stopped typing for a minute, replaying their fights over in her head. The members of the Titans East had been a team now for over half a year and had finally hit their groove as a crime-fighting unit. It was thrilling, to say the least. She'd call out her orders and like a well-oiled machine the five of them sprang into action, taking down the villains just like a team of young superheroes was supposed to, just like their counterparts on the west coast would. Of course, even with all the training and getting used to each other's powers, abilities, and personalities, they still—like all teams did—had their occasional off days.

Today had been an off day. An annoying, aggravating, _infuriatingly_ off day.

It had started right after breakfast. Speedy had apparently gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning and kindly treated all of them to his bad mood throughout the day. Both he and Aqualad were sluggish on the training course. The twins had gotten into an argument and nearly demolished half the Tower in the ensuing high-voltage fistfight. Aqualad took "issues" with being in the same room as her tuna fish sandwich during lunch. And then to top it all off there'd been that disastrous battle against Steamroller.

The young woman leaned back from her computer, mind already wandering back to the events of that afternoon.

-TT-

_The store window of an auto parts shop shattered to pieces as the arms of the robotic villain smashed through them. Steamroller poked his head through the opening and scanned the shelves with his eyes. He reached in and rummaged around further into the store until his probing eyes spotted what they were looking for. Metal cables sprouted from his back and slithered through the broken window, retrieving the object. The cables set the part down gingerly in front of the villain's face and retracted back into their places, as Steamroller examined the part, making sure it was the one he was looking for. Determining that it was indeed what he was after, Steamroller bent over to pick it up._

_An electron-tipped arrow pinged Steamroller's shoulder from behind._

_Steamroller growled as the arrow bounced off his metal plating and twisted around to face the source of the distraction. The Titans East stood there in all their heroic glory, stingers raised, bow cocked, limbs coiled, bubble of water held ready. Bumblebee smirked and leveled her stingers at the metallic fiend._

" _Sorry Steamroller," she said. "You're done shopping for today." Louder she called, "Titans, go!"_

_The twins snapped into battle, streaking towards the giant robot in a red and white blur. Speedy and Aqualad ran forward as well, the archer already sending arrows towards his target. Bumblebee followed close behind in the air, shooting her stingers._

_Steamroller staggered back from the collision with the high-speed twins, then crossed his arms in front to deflect the arrows and stinger blasts. Just as he shrugged off the initial volley, Aqualad's bubble of water exploded over him, sending him reeling several steps away from the store. The felon shook his head, dazed._

_Speedy was behind the villain now and launched a trick arrow at his back. The point crackled with electricity. At the crucial moment though, Steamroller twisted around and the arrow exploded harmlessly against his metal torso._

_Aqualad had already re-gathered the water from the street. Trying a different approach than before he split the water into narrow strands with his powers, then shot the strands like long bullets into the joints and crevices of the robot's outer casing. Steamroller roared and flailed his arms as the water pounded his sensitive weak spots. Before he could recover Bumblebee zoomed in, peppering him with stinger blasts. She focused her eyes, aiming for the small holes Aqualad's barrage of water bullets had made in the mecha's outer shell. Steamroller swatted angrily at her a few times but the young woman simply shrunk down into her miniature form and darted expertly out of the way. The villain became abruptly distracted by the speedsters at his back and Bumblebee seized her chance, firing a salvo directly into one of the holes. She quickly flew out of range, wings propelling her straight up and away._

_A small explosion resonated within the robot's chest. Steamroller stumbled several long paces into the street, and then toppled onto his knees. Another trick arrow from Speedy put him down._

" _Yes!" Aqualad exclaimed, pumping a fist excitedly._

" _Nosotros lo hicimos!" cried the twins, stopping on a dime next to the aquakinetic. Even Speedy decided to forget his bad mood for a moment and smirk in victory as he came and stood with them._

_That was when things went bad. Steamroller suddenly straightened with an infuriated growl. Laser turrets emerged from both shoulders and the metal cables came back out. The ends folded open to reveal long unpleasant-looking blades._

_Bumblebee dropped from the air into the midst of her teammates, resuming her regular size, and stared in disbelief._

" _Holy… since when can he do_ ** _that_** _?!" she said._

_Steamroller's arms were also making a transformation, into decidedly lethal-looking giant canons. And the blades began spinning._

" _I'm gonna need more water," Aqualad commented simply._

" _Not a problem," Speedy told him, taking aim at a nearby fire hydrant._

_-_ TT-

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Steamroller chose that moment to open fire. Bumblebee couldn't recall all the exact details but she _did_ remember bumping Aqualad in her haste to get out of the way of the lasers… who in turn jostled Speedy's elbow so that his aim went off… which made the fire hydrant explode rather magnificently and blast the group straight into the nearest wall…

Bumblebee groaned and thumped her head on the back of the couch.

That had not been pretty.

-TT-

_Water dripped off the irate archer's skin as he sat up and twisted around to glare at Aqualad._

" _Nice work Fish Boy."_

" _Me?! You're the one who decided to launch an explosive proton-tipped arrow at the fire hydrant!"_

" _I was_ ** _trying_** _to help you out."_

" _Guys!" Bumblebee called loudly, doing her best to cover the arguing twosome with stingerfire._

" _Well you did a lousy job at it."_

" _Says you."_

_The Atlantian brought his hand up and smacked Speedy across the face with a tendril of water._

" _Hey!" Speedy cried indignantly, lunging at Aqualad._

_Both boys found themselves suddenly yanked down a side alley by the twins, out of the way of a large laser explosion that hit the ground where they used to be seconds later._

" _Ustedes dos son ridiculous!" the twins complained disparagingly before zipping off to run rings around Steamroller. The cybernetic criminal swiped at them with the whirling blades, grinding slashes in the pavement each time he missed._

_Bumblebee dive-bombed him from behind, slamming her heels into Steamroller's back. Sparks emanated from the roots of the metal cables after she pulled away. The blades on the ends stopped spinning._

_Grumbling, Steamroller reached back and yanked the useless cables out from his back, tossing them away. Bumblebee dodged one that flew right by her in the air. She was trying to think. They had to end this battle quickly. Every minute they spent fighting the battle got more dangerous. She didn't know what other new tricks Steamroller had up his sleeve and she didn't intend to find out. Noticing the still-spewing fire-hydrant, she got an idea._

" _Speedy!" she called. "Freeze arrow!"_

_The archer sifted one out of his quiver and notched it to the string. He watched Bumblebee from the corner of his eye, waiting for her next order._

_The young woman pointed towards the fire hydrant. "As soon as Steamroller steps into that spray, let loose. Aim for his feet. Aqualad, you help. Raise the water off the street so he freezes in place."_

_Aqualad nodded in acknowledgment._

_Satisfied, Bumblebee pumped her wings and re-joined the battle. Steamroller had been occupied with Más and Menos, who were ramming him at high speed, knocking the villain back and forth with each pass they took. Bumblebee fired a blast from her stingers that tilted the cybertron off-balance, distracting him._

" _M &Ms!" she called to the twins, who skidded to a stop and faced her. "Take out the arm canons only, then come help me push him in place."_

_Más and Menos saluted. "Aye aye capitana!"_

_The next moment they were off, rocketing for the still-off-guard Steamroller. In the split second before they reached him, Más's feet pushed off the pavement. Using his brother's support as a springboard the pint-sized hero slammed his soles down upon the criminal's right-hand canon, putting a deep dent in it. The twins zipped away to inspect the damage from afar._

_Steamroller brought both arm canons to bear and leveled them at the twins but only one fired. The other just gave a pathetic whine and started smoking. Steamroller stopped his attack to inspect it quizzically. Más and Menos grinned and took advantage of the opening, running up to the giant mecha and hitting him in the shins. Steamroller roared and pounded the street with both his arms, trying to crush the twosome as they breezed all around him in a solid blur. They waited until his other arm came down, then charged and put two small high-velocity fists into the second arm canon._

_Bumblebee grinned in satisfaction, twirled her stingers, and went to move in and do her bit._

_A red-and-white blur whizzed in front of her flightpath, sending her scrambling to pull up. Her eyes widened in surprise. The twins had not disengaged from their attack. She hovered in the air uncertainly, raising her voice at the speedsters._

" _I said arm canons only!"_

_They didn't hear her, or if they did, they were ignoring her, continuing to duck and dodge around Steamroller, seemingly looking for an opportunity to get at the laser turrets. Bumblebee set down on the street, lowering her stingers and stomping her foot in aggravation._

" _Más! Menos!" she shouted. "Break it off! NOW!"_

_In a disastrous sequence of events, Steamroller stepped into the spray of the fire hydrant. Speedy shot off his freeze arrow and Aqualad gathered up the water around the villain's feet, as per her orders. There was a bright flash, the water froze; Steamroller's lower extremities locked into place while his upper ones flailed wildly. But the twins also yelped as the ground beneath their feet became covered with a layer of ice, sliding uncontrollably as their grasp on each other slipped. Both twelve-year-olds finally fell, skidding in opposite directions. Bumblebee felt the pit of her stomach drop out in horror as the enraged Steamroller smashed an arm down on one of the twins, pinning the youngster in place. The villain raised his other arm to pulverize the young hero._

_She snapped forward, launched herself at the villain. She was barely even aware of her actions. With a feral cry she hurled a punch straight into Steamroller's face. She followed up with her other fist, and then a kick, bringing all the superstrength ability her wrist bands gifted her with to bear. She kept up her assault, pounding until the giant mecha's eyes rolled back and he went limp with unconsciousness._

_Bumblebee drew back, hands clenched at her sides, breathing heavily._

_The other members of the team stood there and gaped, stunned by her display of raw instinctual fury._

" _Woah," was the only thing Aqualad could say._

_Bumblebee whirled on her teammates, her anger not abated. The twins were the first targets of her righteous vitriol._

" _I told you two to break off!"_

_The twins meeped and clutched each other. Menos hesitantly spoke up. "Pero, señora Bumblebee, nosotros_ _—"_

" _I don't care_ ** _what_** _you were trying to do," she interrupted, reading the underlying intention. "You were reckless, you got in the way, and one of you nearly got crushed. When I give an order you follow it! Got it?" she scolded._

_They both ducked their heads. "Si señora."_

_She turned towards Speedy and Aqualad, who flinched. "And you! You realize that while you were wasting time bickering you might have gotten killed?! We can't afford to stop for your stupid arguments. Do you understand me?"_

" _Yes mother," Speedy muttered under his breath._

_Bumblebee jabbed a finger in his direction. "Watch it!" she snapped. She stepped back, exhaled a long breath. Calmer now, she surveyed the aftermath of the battle zone and sighed._

" _Let's get this mess cleaned up."_

-TT-

The leader of Titans East pulled herself out of her reverie as she heard the door to the common room hissing open behind her. Soft footfalls met her ears. She straightened and made herself busy with her computer work.

"Hey… Bee?" Aqualad's tentative voice spoke up.

Not bothering to look over her shoulder she replied, "Yeah, what is it Fish Fry?"

"We need to talk to you."

"Uh-huh."

"It's about the twins."

Bumblebee snapped her laptop closed and twisted around to face him. "What did the little monsters do this time?!" she demanded.

Momentarily taken aback, Aqualad stood there and blinked, then collected himself and continued, "Actually, they haven't done anything." He began scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. "They just, uh… they want you to, um…"

"They want you to read them a bedtime story," Speedy broke in from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

There was a long silence. Out of all the scenarios she'd been entertaining in her head, that had not been one of them.

"…Say what?"

Más and Menos suddenly appeared at her side, dressed in their matching flannel pajamas, red hair loose and messy. Más held a thin stack of papers in his hands.

" _Si!"_ they chimed together. _"Escribimos mismos. Va a leer a nosotros?"_ Más handed her the stack and they both gave her pleading expressions. _"Por favor?"_

She stared. "You kidding? After what you put me through today?" She tried and failed to think of a good threat to follow up with.

" _Por favor señora?"_ they begged again.

Bumblebee sighed in resignation, straightening up and lifting the papers to eye-level. "You're lucky you two are cute," she grumbled as the redheads curled up next to her on the couch. Clearing her throat, she began reading.

"Once upon a time there were two brothers, a merman, and a boy with big red hair who lived in a giant… shoe." She paused and looked down at the twins quizzically. They nudged her to keep going. She raised an eyebrow at them, but continued.

"The four of them were watched over and protected by their guardian, a beautiful air nymph named Wasp."

There was something oddly familiar about this story. Bumblebee stopped again and sent an accusatory look around the room at Speedy, Aqualad, and the speedsters. None of them fessed up and indeed, were very busy looking innocent. She dropped her eyes back to the page.

"One day an evil troll came menacing the forest where the two brothers and their friends lived. They went out to fight him, but the two brothers made a mistake and put themselves in danger during the battle. Wasp was very angry with them. The two brothers were very sorry that they had disobeyed her and made her worry and—"

She dropped the pages off to the side.

"Okay you two," she told them, smirking. "I see what you're getting at."

The twins rose to their knees beside her and launched into a heartfelt apology, voices rising in pitch together. Bumblebee missed a few words here and there due to their rapid delivery, but she heard all the important parts.

From behind them in the doorway where he and Speedy stood—the archer avoiding eye contact and standing with his arms crossed—Aqualad spoke up. "We're really sorry about what happened this afternoon Bee."

He nudged Speedy in the ribs.

Speedy shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah… and for our attitudes this morning. We were out of line. We're sorry."

" _Puede nos nunca perdonarán?"_ Más and Menos said, their faces scrunched repentantly.

Bumblebee smiled and ruffled Menos's hair. "All right. I forgive you."

Their eyes lit up in relief and they hugged her around her stomach.

"Just don't let it happen again," she admonished.

"Not a problem." Speedy said, relaxing his stance.

"If there's one person I never want to see fly into a mama bear rage again it's you," Aqualad added.

She laughed, then disentangled herself from the speedsters. "Okay, get to bed, both of you."

They hopped down obediently and shuffled off, bare feet padding the carpet softly. Aqualad and Speedy followed them soon after.

Bumblebee sat quietly for a few minutes after the door slid shut behind them. Then she set her laptop aside, stretched, and headed off to get some well deserved rest after the long day.


	32. Recuperation

"Ouch!"

"Sit still."

"I'm _trying_ to but you're—OUCH!"

"There," Raven announced, pulling the last piece of wood shrapnel out of the changeling's shoulder. Beast Boy bit the knuckle of his index finger, whimpering a little at the pain. Raven placed a glowing blue hand on his injury and his face relaxed, muscles losing their tension. After a moment she took her hand away, the green, newly healed skin showing cleanly through the holes in his uniform.

Raven stepped back and looked Beast Boy over, checking to see if she'd missed anything. "I think that's everything," she said under her breath.

"My head still hurts," Beast Boy complained.

The empath rolled her eyes and reached for the bottle of aspirin on the medical cart next to her. "Yes, well, getting a concussion tends to do that to people." She handed him the bottle, then moved off to fetch a small cup of water. Raven returned to the changeling momentarily, biting back a chuckle when she saw that Beast Boy was struggling with the child-proof cap. She took the bottle from him, deftly popped it open, and then gave it back without commenting. Beast Boy flushed a little, but shook out two tablets. Raven handed him the cup of water and he obediently swallowed the pills. He set the paper cup aside when he finished.

"How are you feeling?" Raven asked.

"Better," he said. He grinned in appreciation. "Thanks Rae!"

She returned a faint smile. "You're welcome." She stepped back, raising her arms slightly in preparation to brace the changeling as he moved to get off the bed. "You okay to walk?"

"I can make it," he reassured her. He gingerly put his feet on the floor and balanced his weight upon them. To his and Raven's relief, his legs were stable, and the shape-shifter began to limp towards the door. Raven let her hands drop with a grateful sigh and walked ahead of him, the changeling trailing behind her.

The door slid open before her to reveal the worried faces of the rest of the team. Robin stepped forward, concern furrowing his brows.

"How is he?" he asked anxiously.

"His ribs, collar, and ankle will take a little longer to heal," she briefed him. "But I've taken care of all the cuts and shrapnel. He should be fine in a few weeks or so."

Robin nodded. The other Titans breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Good work Raven," Robin told her.

She shrugged. "Just doing my job."

Beast Boy made it to the doorway behind her at that moment, eliciting a grin from Cyborg, who stepped forward.

"Hey grass stain," he greeted. "How ya doing?"

Beast Boy stopped and returned the gesture. "A little achy. Actually I feel pretty good considering I got punted through a wall an hour ago."

"You feel good enough for a round of Super Ninjas 3?" Cyborg goaded, leaning in and rubbing his hands excitedly.

Robin put a restraining hand on the teen's shoulder. "Not now Cyborg," he admonished sternly. "Beast Boy needs to rest and recuperate." The Titans' leader turned his gaze towards the changeling. "That's an order Beast Boy, get some rest," he said.

The changeling's face twisted. "Aw _man!_ Does this mean I'm stuck in my room the whole time?!"

The Boy Wonder chuckled and held up his hands. "No no, you're not restricted to your room." The stern expression returned to Robin's face. "But you're not to take part in any missions until you're fully recovered. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Beast Boy mumbled grumpily.

Robin smiled again. "Just take it easy for a couple of days and try not to overexert yourself," he instructed further. "All right?"

"Yeah yeah," Beast Boy said, waving dismissively. "I won't overexert myself. Whatever. Can I play Super Ninjas 3 or not?"

Robin stepped back, glanced at Raven—who gave a quick shake of her head—then nodded. "I guess it's all right."

"Woohoo!" the changeling exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. Then his hands quickly shot to his side and he grimaced. "Ow!"

"That's not taking it easy by the way," Raven commented as she brushed past the other Titans and headed off.

-TT-

As per Robin's orders, Beast Boy was relegated to staying at the Tower during alarms throughout the next few weeks, which he didn't mind quite so much as it gave him the opportunity to catch up on _Clash of the Planets_ reruns, practice his channel flipping, read some of his new comic books, and generally be lazy.

The chance to refine his video game skills also helped.

"You are _not_ passing me little man!"

"Oh yes I am!"

The changeling sat on the couch with his foot propped up, clicking buttons on his game console like a madman, and—much to Cyborg's chagrin—he was currently winning.

"Face it Cy, the time you've spent off on missions is time I've had to gain a winning edge. You're going down!"

"Oh no you _don't!_ " Cyborg growled, redoubling his efforts. His shape-shifting friend had too much of a lead though, and after a few moments, the screen lit up to announce Beast Boy's victory. The changeling stood up and pumped his arms triumphantly.

"YES! Ha ha! Victory is mine!" He clutched at his side. "Ow!"

Still bitter over being defeated, Cyborg lounged back against the couch with a smug, teasing grin. "Careful there sensitive. Wouldn't want to hurt yourself."

Beast Boy glared. "Dude. That is so not funny."

"Or maybe you _do_ want to hurt yourself so can have another private healing session with Raven, huh?" Cyborg continued, crossing his arms.

The changeling's sharp reply failed as it passed his throat and came out a loud squeak, in tandem with his brain realizing just what Cyborg had said. Beast Boy stuttered and blustered, trying unsuccessfully to restart his sentence. Finally he threw down his arms and screeched, _"You're just mad that I beat you!"_

The force of his shout caused a stabbing pain in his still-healing ribs.

"OW! Aww, now look what you made me do…" he groaned, holding his side gingerly.

Cyborg cringed. "Sorry B. I didn't mean to aggravate you."

The changeling sighed. "Yes you did," he said, setting down his game console and shuffling off.

"Where are you going?" Cyborg asked.

"For my private healing session with Raven," Beast Boy drolled sarcastically.

-TT-

"I can't stand it!"

Robin looked up from his breakfast and the copy of the newspaper he was reading to see a very agitated Beast Boy pacing around the room. It had been two and a half weeks since the shape-shifter was injured and the Titans' leader could only suspect that he was finally getting bored. There were only so many _Clash of the Planets_ reruns to divert his short attention span.

"Being cooped up in the Tower?" Robin guessed.

Beast Boy shook his head and plopped down on the floor. "Nah, that's pretty cool. Gives me a legitimate excuse to do nothing all day. But everyone keeps _futzing_ over me."

The Boy Wonder's brows furrowed. He set his toast down on the plate. "What you mean 'futzing'?"

The changeling popped back up again. "Well for starters _you_ keep reminding me not to overwork myself," he said, and resumed pacing and gesturing. "And Cy's been teasing me and giving me grief about the whole thing. Starfire just kinda _hovers_ , you know, with that anxious look on her face that's like 'Please, are you the okay and is there anything with which I can help you?'. The usual."

Robin nodded in understanding. He knew that look.

"What I really don't understand is why Raven's so worried," Beast Boy went on. "I know she's our designated doctor and all but does she really need to check up on me so often and insist I see her for treatments every day and constantly ask how I'm doing and _what are you smiling about?_ " the changeling demanded, irritably shooting a glare at Robin.

The Boy Wonder snickered in a disgustingly innocent way. "Nothing," he hedged, pretending to be very absorbed in his newspaper.

Beast Boy let a terse growl rumble through his chest, then continued. "You know yesterday after my check-up I asked her if I was healed enough to actually leave the Tower and go out to the new comic book store that just opened up downtown?"

"Mm-hmm," Robin acknowledged, half-paying attention.

"She told me I had to take someone with me." Beast Boy threw his arms out in exasperation. "What? A villain throws me through _one_ wall and now all of a sudden I need a babysitter? I mean, it's not like I'm insisting that I'm fine when I'm not and going on missions when I'm not supposed to and not taking things easy like everyone's telling me to." Beast Boy raised his gaze back up to his teammate searching for some kind of sympathetic understanding or recognition of his plight.

Robin's only response was to look extraordinarily awkward.

 _Oh… right_ , Beast Boy realized. "…Which is what you do all the time. Hey, how come no one makes _you_ stay home when you get injured?" Beast Boy protested, crossing his arms in a 'that's-totally-unfair-and-you-know-it' pout.

The Titans' leader fixed two narrowed eyes on him, looking at him with a withering humorless glare.

"Beast Boy."

"What?"

"Go to your room."

Beast Boy stuck out his tongue but complied.

-TT-

"I play my Silver Wizard and apply the +5 of spellcasting," Starfire said, placing a card down on the bed sheets between them.

"No no Star," Beast Boy corrected, stopping her hand and pointing at the card. "Silver Wizards can only be played after you use your Mages to summon them. See?"

The Tamaranian squinted at the writing on the card. "Oh," she acknowledged, picking the card back up. "That is right." She tucked the card back into her hand, and pursed her lips as she scanned them. She also gave a cursory glance at the cards already in play. Reaching over and moving one of her reserves to the front she announced, "Then I play my Warrior and apply the +10 of swordplay."

Beast Boy bit his lip as he tallied the damages in his head. "Smart move," he complimented, turning one of his cards over.

In lieu of being grounded (temporarily he was sure) Beast Boy had decided to finally take Starfire up on her offer to keep him company and help alleviate his boredom. The two young Titans currently sat on the changeling's top bunk. Raven sat just outside the doorway, leaning against the wall and reading a book. Apparently she was 'keeping an eye on them'.

Whatever _that_ meant. (Beast Boy was almost positive Raven was just using this as an excuse to monitor him and make sure he didn't do anything too strenuous. It was both annoying and disturbingly sweet of her at the same time.)

He shook himself out of his reverie on Raven's increasingly abnormal behavior with regards to him and analyzed the cards in front of him and in his hand. He grinned. Withdrawing a card from his hand he brandished it triumphantly and flipped it down on the sheets in front of him.

"+8 archery volley. Beat that!"

Starfire frowned. The cards at the front, including her Warrior, were now almost completely obliterated. She studied her reserves intently, looking back and forth between their two fronts, frowning further when she realized none of her cards would be very effective now. She dropped her eyes to her hand.

"Um…" she said, her fingers hesitantly hovering over her cards, trying to decide which one to play. A brightly colored one on the end caught her attention and she drew it out. "I play… my Blue Dragon." She set it between them. "And apply the +15 in fire breathing."

She looked up. Beast Boy's jaw had dropped. He was gaping in mute shock.

The alien princess scrunched her eyes and shrunk into her shoulders a little nervously. "Um… Beast Boy?"

The changeling pointed back and forth from Starfire to the card she'd just played. "How… where…" he stammered. "…you… where did you get a Blue Dragon?!" he finally managed.

She tilted her head, confused and starting to wonder if it was time to make a hasty exit. "This is… your deck Beast Boy," she reminded him.

"You're kidding!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I… I have a Blue Dragon?"

He picked up the card incredulously, then grinned.

"I have a Blue Dragon! Woohoo!" he cheered, doing an impromptu victory dance.

Raven leaned her head in through the doorway. She smirked at the shape-shifter's antics and at poor Starfire's blank stare. He was doing well. He was almost completely healed, in fact, and definitely passing the bounce test. Her presence just outside the doorway was largely unnecessary but the empath couldn't pass up an opportunity to watch Starfire and Beast Boy attempt to play card games together, especially something as complicated as the magical combative game they were playing now.

Actually she was mostly just here at Robin's request. Paranoid boy was jittery about what the changeling would get up to. For some reason. Raven obliged with minimal protest.

"Oh."

Beast Boy's voice brought her back to the present. The changeling was looking forlornly down at his set of cards.

"I lost," he announced.

Raven chuckled.

The Tamaranian princess opposite him straightened with perceptible interest. "Then… I am victorious?" Her eyes lit up and she clapped excitedly. "I am victorious!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her knees in glee.

Beast Boy flipped his hand onto the bed casually and leaned back against the pillow. "So… now what d'you wanna do?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling.

Starfire pursed her lip, thinking for a moment. She glanced up at Beast Boy. Her mouth widened with a smile. She leaned over and poked the changeling in the stomach.

"You are it," she said.

She took off, sailing out the door and into the hallway.

"Hey! No fair!" Beast Boy objected, scrambling up and morphing into a squirrel. He leapt down from the bed and sped off in pursuit of the alien princess.

Raven sighed, closed her book, and got to her feet.

Yep, he was definitely fully recovered.

-TT-

Starfire couldn't stop giggling as she flew through the hallways ahead of the changeling, now in the form of a green cheetah that was rapidly closing on her. The doors to the main room opened before her and she streaked through them.

Halfway across the room, Beast Boy finally caught up to her and she shrieked as he tackled her out of the air with a flying leap, morphing back to normal mid-fall. The two tumbled to the floor, both laughing. Beast Boy managed to sit up after a little bit.

"Tickle tag!" he cried, pouncing on his teammate. She "eeep"-ed and her giggles increased in intensity as she uselessly tried to fend him off.

Behind them came the sound of a somewhat annoyed throat clearing. Beast Boy took mercy on Starfire and let her up and the two glanced back towards the door.

Not surprisingly it was Robin, standing there with his arms crossed and a stern, no-nonsense expression on his face.

Beast Boy and Starfire both stood to their feet, smiling and looking like very innocent and adorable siblings whose mother had caught them playing in the mud.

"Heh-heh," Beast Boy laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Hi Robin. We were just, uh… playing tag." He shifted into the form of a wolf and hastily began trotting out.

"I thought I told you to go to your room," Robin groused tersely, glowering, following the changeling with his eyes. Starfire's soft giggle caught his attention; he turned his head just in time to catch her pausing in her flight right next to him, her hand outstretched. She cupped his face, leaned in, and pressed her lips to his cheek, effectively blanking out all his thoughts. He froze in place dumbly. After a moment or two she pulled back.

"Do not be so uptight," she admonished gently in his ear. Then she floated off after Beast Boy, her laughter echoing through the hallway.

…Robin was having trouble remembering what he'd been irritated about. When Raven entered a few minutes later, he was still standing there, rubbing his cheek unconsciously, trying to reorganize his brain back into its regular operation.

The empath refrained from commenting when she came in, her senses immediately recognizing what kind of mental catatonia was afflicting their leader. She watched him for a few moments to see if he could shake himself out of it on his own. When he didn't, she walked up to him and nudged his shoulder.

He snapped to attention with an instinctive, "Huh?"

"Just thought you should know, I'm giving Beast Boy a clean bill of health. He's fully recovered, and his bones are all completely healed and back to normal now. You can let him start coming on alerts again," she told him.

"Oh," Robin acknowledged, still distracted. "Okay… thanks Raven."

After another couple seconds Raven could sense his mind drifting off again.

She smirked.

"Are you ever going to spit it out and let her know what kind of _dreams_ you've been having about her at night?" she teased.

Robin glared icily. "Are you going to explain why Beast Boy says you've been _futzing_ over him?" he challenged back.

Raven clamped her mouth shut firmly, scowling. Robin crossed his arms again coolly. The two entered a tense, uneasy, and slightly menacing staredown for the next half-minute.

The empath raised her hand.

Robin yelped as swirling tendrils of black energy yanked him up towards the ceiling, hung him upside-down for a moment, then inelegantly dropped him on the floor.


	33. Paternal

Laser bolts stung the air and peppered the rooftops. A half-dozen flat circle-shaped orbs descended from the sky in formation, the air buzzing with the loud, ominous hum of their approach. Wildebeest roared and swatted a couple from the air with his great arms. The fallen drones crashed to the rooftop, sparking uselessly.

From above, there came another noisy buzzing sound, and the hero felt the heat of lasers zipping around him, singeing his hair. Four drones hovered around his head and suddenly let out a simultaneous high-pitched whine. Wildebeest cried out in pain, slapping his hands over his sensitive ears.

Herald's horn sounded on one side and two of the drones were sucked away. A red plasma mallet came from the other side and knocked one of the remaining drones into the other like a croquet ball. Both went tumbling off.

The next moment all three of the teenagers had to flip, fly, or backpedal out of the way as more drones stormed the sky around them. Into their midst stepped Hot Spot, who unleashed twin streams of fire from his hands into the new formation, which promptly broke as the drones zoomed off in different directions to avoid the flames. The pyro growled to himself as he took off after Argent in pursuit of one of the clusters.

Argent soared noiselessly in the wake of the buzzing robotic insects, her hands glowing at her side. She stretched out her arm and a large crimson hand streaked after the buzzing dots in the distance, snagging one. She crushed it deftly between the hand's fingertips.

Abruptly the drones halted their flight, whirled around, charged the lasers mounted on their sides. She managed to throw up a barrier to shield herself, but the explosion still knocked her out of the air.

Hot Spot skidded to a stop and managed to catch her in his arms before she hit the concrete. "Y'okay?" he asked.

"Yeah fine," she replied as he set her down.

The drones were advancing now, their buzz getting louder as they came near. The two teens glanced at each other a split-second. Then they both turned and ran back the way they came, back towards the others, the laser bolts on their heels. A flung destroyed drone from Wildebeest crashed into the formation as they rejoined the other Titans. The buzzing mechanical insects swerved and then broke off and zoomed away, their humming starting to fade into the distance. Jericho finished yanking wires out from the undercarriage of a drone he was dismantling and looked up. He stood and twisted Herald around, alerting the teleporter to the retreating drones. A sound on the trumpet and the robots went flailing into a portal that opened directly in their path.

The portal closed and it was suddenly quieter. They could still hear the buzzing though, and it was getting closer again. Hot Spot tensed, listening. The tell-tale sound of lasers discharging came at them from above.

"Get down!" he shouted, pushing Argent down to the rooftop with him, his hands covering the back of both their heads as the laserfire narrowly missed them. He grimaced as he felt the heat streaking over their backs, smelled the burnt air. Close call. He kept his body over Argent's until the barrage subsided, then straightened up, making sure the others were okay. Then he glanced off in the direction of the new buzzing.

Ten more drones rose up from the alleyways in two straight lines.

They opened fire.

Argent put up a plasma wall in front of them and the lasers punched dully into its side and dissipated.

"Where the bloody heck are these things _coming from?!_ " she yelled incredulously.

Hot Spot didn't respond, crouching behind the barrier. At every opening he sent out a flame dart from around the wall at the hovering robots. More drones joined the original ten and the air was filled with noise—the buzzing, the lasers, growling from Wildebeest, blasts of power.

Herald, Jericho, and Wildebeest were all together, standing back to back. Herald had his horn out and was blowing on it every second he could, in every direction the swooping little menaces came at him from. The other two were trying to keep him from being swamped.

Jericho had one in his hands; he was using it to bludgeon its siblings as they came near. The drones were mechanical, non-organic, so he couldn't possess them, but he was still making good use of the make-shift club, smacking drones away with visible exertion.

He paused a minute to wipe the sweat on his face away. This was hard. Especially for him. He'd never been very good at the physical stuff. He was always more artistically inclined, relied on creativity and quick thinking. Grant was the one who inherited all the combat skills. He wasn't a strong fighter at all. The constant effort of swinging, bashing the metal shells together, was wearing him down, sapping his endurance. He hoped they could end the fight soon.

"Herald!"

Jericho snapped to attention at the sound of their leader's voice.

"Portal!" the pyro commanded. "Take us down to the street level!"

Herald nodded wordlessly and blew on his trumpet. A circle in space appeared directly behind them.

"In!"

Jericho swung his club one last time, then dropped it on the roof with the other fallen bots and stepped through the portal with the others. He could hear the buzz of the drones on their tail. He emerged through the other side and looked back anxiously through the rift. Sure enough, there were drones following. The boy heard a grunt from Hot Spot. He glanced over; the pyro was preparing to heave a large fireball through the portal. Jericho's eyes widened and he stumbled quickly out of the way.

Hot Spot hurled the fireball with herculean effort. The ball sailed neatly through the circle. Jericho covered his eyes as two simultaneous explosions rent the air.

_BOOM!_

The drones on the other side were obliterated by the blast. The ones that managed to make it through were jostled by the force and went careening. Pieces of metal and smoking shrapnel fell to the street with a clang.

It was quiet. The buzzing was gone.

Jericho hesitantly eased his arm down. Bits of the drones littered the street around them and, off in the distance, smoke was rising from atop one of the buildings. The pavement was cracked and singed, trails of smoke rising up from tiny flickers of fire.

The Titans breathed a sigh of relief.

Herald lowered his horn wearily. "That the last of 'em?" he asked, his voice slightly raspy.

Hot Spot regained his breath as he surveyed the area. "I think so…"

"Good," the teleporter replied, slumping deftly to the pavement. He rubbed his neck. "Man… my throat is tired…" he croaked.

Wildebeest grunted in agreement. Jericho nodded as well, and sat down on the sidewalk by Herald, resting his elbows on his knees, drained by the battle.

About a minute of nothing but their breathing passed before Argent spoke up.

"Erm… guys?"

They looked up at her. She was distracted, peering off towards something.

"Yeah Argent?" Hot Spot asked for all of them.

She pointed down the street. "'ow long has that chap been standing there?"

They turned their gazes in that direction, confused.

About a block or so away there was a man, tall with silver-white hair, standing with his arms crossed passively and… looking at them. Not staring, not gawking, like some average citizens might. More like coolly observing. They couldn't see many details from the distance, but they could tell he was stocky, well-built. Not scary-looking in any sense of the word but still… formidable. He didn't speak, didn't do anything much really, but the teens still felt a little nervous at his presence.

"Dunno," Hot Spot replied belatedly, shifting a little on his feet.

"You think he was watching us?" Herald wondered hoarsely.

Jericho sat very still, quieter than usual. He'd recognized the visitor with a sinking feeling in his stomach and a familiar depressing of his spirits. His heart grew troubled and distant.

He sighed.

_I'll handle this,_ he signed as he reluctantly got up.

They glanced toward him.

"You sure?" Herald probed in concern.

Jericho nodded. Yeah. He was sure. This was a personal thing. No point getting the others involved in it. It was his messy history alone waiting for him on the other end of the street. He took a deep breath to steel himself, then started walking to meet their observer. The other Titans watched a little awkwardly.

As he got closer, Jericho could see that the man was dressed in civvies; a gray flannel shirt, plain slacks, dark leather jacket. Normal-looking, except for the eye patch that covered his right eye. His expression stayed neutral, though his gaze followed the boy as he approached. Jericho wondered what he was thinking. Was he indifferent? Merely curious? Disappointed?

He wouldn't have been surprised if it was the last one. He'd never really… measured up to the man's standards.

He stopped about four feet away. Any closer and the man's height would start to become intimidating. He was still ill at ease even being this close. The older man said nothing, just watched him evenly. Jericho stood still, not fidgeting. The air between them was apprehensive, almost tense. An uncertain moment passed.

Jericho exhaled.

_What are you doing here?_ he finally asked.

"Paying a visit," the man replied.

_I mean here in Auckland,_ he clarified. _Did someone hire you?_ Jericho didn't voice the underlying implications behind the statement—that the man's assassin duties had been bought out, and he was here to kill someone. The man caught it anyways, though he didn't flinch at the accusation.

"I can't just want to visit my son?" he said, one silver eyebrow raising slightly. His expression was still neutral. He was being evasive. Jericho could tell.

He rested a hard, unfeeling glare on his father.

Slade sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. "I'm here on business," he explained, tone concise, formal. "What that entails is no concern of yours. I saw you and the others fighting and…" His voice dropped lower, almost to a whisper, and a hint of genuine emotion finally touched it. "I wanted to see you," he finished.

Jericho dropped his eyes, uncomfortable, finally succumbing to the nervous fidgets that he had been holding in.

Slade looked past him down the street, at Jericho's equally uncomfortable-looking teammates.

"You've got quite a team," he told the boy approvingly. "They fight well together."

Jericho scuffed the ground with his boot, unused to such open praise.

_I guess…_

He could feel his father's gaze on him, softly probing. His fidgeting subsided, though he felt no less uneasy.

"How's your mother?" Slade asked abruptly.

He looked up, studying the man's expression. It was unreadable, mostly, though there was a glint of something in his single eye. Jericho couldn't tell what. His hands were still a minute, processing the unexpected question, gauging the motives behind it. Then he shrugged and signed, _She's doing okay. She took up a new security job up in Central City._

Slade nodded, acknowledging the information quietly, his stoic air never faltering. "Have you talked to her?" he pressed further.

_I call her up every other weekend or so._ Jericho watched his father's face carefully, trying to decipher what the man was thinking. He couldn't detect any insincerity in the line of questioning. Maybe he actually did genuinely want to know.

Somehow that was almost worse.

Jericho gave a cursory glance at the eye patch covering Slade's right socket. It felt strange… discussing his mother like this with the reminder of that falling out between them so clearly within view.

His father was shifting a little self-consciously. Jericho quickly moved his eyes someplace else.

What was he doing here? He should really just walk away. The man standing before him was no longer a part of his life, hadn't been for years, ever since…

He fingered his throat unconsciously.

But still, something kept him rooted to the spot. And he couldn't help but wonder…

_Have you?_ he asked.

"Have I what?"

_Talked to her._

An uneasy silence followed. Slade's face and posture turned cold and lost what traces of emotion had been in them. Jericho pressed earnestly, silently with his eyes. He hoped for an answer, hoped feverishly the man wouldn't just walk away without saying anything.

He knew it was likely. He had too much of his mother in him. It had to be difficult for Slade to look at him, and see his mother's face, and be reminded of what had happened, how much had been lost.

Slade managed to keep his expression unreadable for a long moment. Then he turned his head to the side. "I know better," he muttered, a trace of bitterness in his voice.

_She misses you._

Slade turned back to him, blinking. "How do you know?"

_I can hear it in her voice sometimes._ It was the truth. Much as she denied it, the ever perceptive Jericho could always pick up the wistful traces of sadness, of remorse and sorrow for how things had ended, how it had scarred them as a family.

Hesitantly, unsure of how the man would react, he continued, his hands slow and careful.

_She still keeps that picture of the four of us in the park from my first birthday,_ he said. _It's… buried under the clothing she never wears in the bottom drawer of her dresser but… it's still there._

He saw it finally; the flash of regret he'd been hoping for, the barest perceptible hint of guilt in his father's face at the memory being dredged up… a memory of happier times… The weather had been perfect that day. Both boys behaved themselves. Adeline looked angelic in her yellow sundress, the light making a gold halo around her head…

Jericho couldn't remember it, of course. He was far too young. But his mother talked about it often. She said it had been one of the few days where—just for once—everything had been unquestionably… happy. For all of them.

His mind drew itself out of the past and back to the present, eyes focusing again. He hadn't realized he'd been drifting off. Slade was still standing there, contemplative, studying him quietly. Jericho cautiously raised his hands and posed one last question.

_Do_ **_you_ ** _ever miss her?_

No response. His father didn't even twitch.

A long moment passed.

"I should be going," Slade mumbled finally, breaking eye contact with him and starting to turn around. Jericho sighed silently, arms dropping to his sides, his face falling in disappointment.

Slade paused a moment before he headed off. "It was… nice to see you Joseph," he said softly. His head turned back forward and the next moment he was leaving, heading off down the street.

The unease and tightness in his chest started to fade. Jericho watched his father walk away… again… his eyes following the man's long steps.

_Yeah… you too…_ he thought at his father's receding back.

After a few more moments watching the figure on the street get further and further away, he turned and walked back towards his teammates, who were standing there a little unsurely, no doubt wondering what was going on. Hot Spot looked almost as jittery as he did when expecting some kind of impending attack. No one spoke for a while and the only sound was his soft footfalls as he made his way back to them.

Finally Hot Spot spoke up.

"So… who was that?" he asked.

Jericho frowned grimly and signed, _My dad._

"Oooh. _That_ kind of awkward conversation huh?" Argent said, grimacing in sympathy.

_Uh-huh._

Herald looked at him in concern. "Everything okay man?"

Jericho glanced up at the retreating figure of his father, now only a small flicker of movement in the distance, thinking and reminiscing, finally shaking the memories off and dropping his eyes.

_It will be… later_ , he decided. _Let's just go get some pizza,_ he said wearily, brushing past the others.

The remaining Titans looked after him, then one by one, shooting one last glance at the figure receding in the opposite direction, followed in his wake.


	34. Back and Forth

The late night sky was a deep, deep blue tonight, speckled occasionally with a few stars that she could make out through the haze of the streetlights. Aside from a car or two passing by, the headlights framing her figure with a white halo as they passed, there was no one else around. The streets were empty and deserted at this late hour, most people choosing to be asleep in their safe and warm homes instead of out wandering around. So much the better. It meant that things were quiet (aside from the sound of her own footsteps). Better for the restless thinking and pacing she'd been doing lately. The pink-haired girl dropped her eyes to the street again, relishing the stillness.

She didn't know how this nightly ritual had started. One night she just excused herself from the hideout with some half-muttered excuse about "needing to clear her head" and hit the streets and wandered around aimlessly just breathing in the cool night air until she felt calmer and more collected and then went back, finding everything dark and her teammates all asleep. It was almost like clockwork now. Finish dinner, file some reports, listen to beginning of yet another ever-irritating squabble between her roommates, head out and go for a long walk until her legs turned to jelly and her eyelids started drooping. That was usually around the one to two mark. It was only about eleven now, so she had a ways to go before she had to return home.

Home. Right. Like she'd ever really felt at home anywhere.

It was a realization that was beginning to occupy more and more of her thoughts nowadays, and especially on nights like these. She wondered often about what she really wanted from life. It sounded stupid and simple but she had to be honest with herself and realize that she'd never really, truly thought about it before. She'd just kept following orders and going with the flow without stopping to consider what her motives truly were. There'd been the superficial reasons of course—because villainy was fun, because she had friends—or at least very close associates she could count on in a pinch—because wrecking things and pulling off a successful heist gave her an adrenaline rush. But now that she thought about it, really thought about it, she recognized that what she _really_ wanted was to fit in. To have a place where she would really… _belong_. And not just as a notation on the attendance record.

She'd thought she had fit in at the HIVE. Finally here she was, with kids her own age, who wouldn't think twice about her strange powers because hey, they were just like her. She could walk the school hallways and hold her head up high because the people here actually _understood_. They _cared_. They _wanted_ her there with them, laughing and having fun and being part of something bigger than herself.

She sniffed.

_That_ illusion had been shattered pretty quickly. Sure, she fit in nicely. Found a comfortable niche to slide into. Even made a few friends. But always at the back of her mind a nagging voice reminded her that these were villains she was hanging out with. Lust for power and treachery were practically in their blood. She couldn't trust _anyone_ besides herself one hundred percent completely because you never knew who might turn on you.

It was that lack of trust that left her disillusioned with the whole bad girl shtick now. That and the fact that she was tired of having her butt handed to her time and time again, with no way to improve herself or move up in the criminal world because there were already dozens of evil scientists, costumed chaos-wreckers, gang leaders, and rampaging metahumans jostling for control, stepping on whoever got in the way, backstabbing anyone who slowed them down.

She wondered grimly if her own teammates would cut her loose given the chance, but then dismissed the thought on the grounds that the other members of the HIVE Five were way too stupid to want anything more than they already had now. Which was a lame cycle of stealing, fighting the Titans, going to jail, escaping, stealing again, getting their butts kicked, then crawling back to the hideout to lick their wounds and play video games and whine about losing all the time. Incompetents.

Even before the little red and yellow speedster boy scout had entered her life, her mind had been dwelling on it. She saw what the Titans had; how they worked together, how close they were, how happy they seemed all the time… and she resented it. She hated how there was absolutely nothing subversive about their relationship with each other. No backstabbing, no hesitancy to trust, no one ever using another person for their own gain… They were all just friends, pure and simple. Just five teenagers who hung out and lived together and enjoyed it. They were… almost like a family to each other.

And blast it all… she… she was _jealous_.

Jinx stopped walking for a minute, turned to the side and grabbed the frame of a random shop door and banged her head on it.

_Come on_ , she scolded herself. _That's stupid. I can't think about that right now._

She pulled away from the door, rubbing her forehead gently as she started up her trek again. The thought would not go away. She tried to shift her mind to a different subject but like a nail to a magnet it just kept latching back onto it. She almost groaned.

This was totally the speedster's fault. She'd never had so much trouble covering up notions that disturbed her before. Great. That meant the guy was actually having an influence on her. She was seriously tempted to go bang her head again. _Great, just great_ , she thought.

As if on cue, she heard a small whooshing sound behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something ducking behind one of the buildings.

Jinx stopped in her tracks, sighed heavily and crossed her arms.

"You're wasting your _ti_ -ime," she said aloud to the air, not bothering to look around.

In a blink there was a boy standing next to her, clad in skintight red and yellow spandex, emblazoned with a lightning bolt on the chest, beaming at her with that lopsided grin and those bright gleaming blue eyes. "Oh, I don't think I am," he said, in an annoyingly cheerful, almost teasing tone of voice.

Jinx fixed the speedster with narrowed eyes and a calm, cool glare. "Still trying to convert me to side of truth and justice huh?"

"Aww, you remembered! That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

She rolled her eyes and started to walk past him. "Well you can forget it. The answer is still no."

A red and yellow blur whizzed by her and the next minute Kid Flash was once again blocking her path. "Are you saying that because you don't _want_ to switch sides?" Here he threw her a flirtatious look. "Or are you just trying to resist my charm and good looks?"

"I'm trying to—Why am I even _talking_ to you?" Jinx sputtered, throwing her arms up in aggravation. "I should be out stealing something or… something," she added lamely, her brain refusing to cough up examples of what she should be doing at this moment instead of arguing with the kid.

Said kid was still smiling at her, an eerily perceptive light in his eyes. "But you aren't. I wonder why that is."

Jinx exhaled deeply and crossed her arms again, hugging herself, then finally drew her gaze back up to the speedster's face. "You want the truth?" she asked softly.

"Honesty _is_ the best policy."

"Lately it just doesn't seem to do anything for me," she confessed, looking off down the street towards the halo of light from the next street lamp. "There's no thrill, no fun. Not even the rush of victory since we keep losing all the time. It's just _boring._ "

Beside her Kid Flash voiced a small, "Huh."

"What?" she asked, turning around.

"Well, I was just thinking…" the speedster said, scratching his chin. "If you do wind up deciding to switch sides I'd hope it'd be for something a little better than boredom," he told her, grinning.

Jinx shifted awkwardly on her feet. The deeper reasons she had been pondering earlier came back to hover acutely at the front of her mind. "Well… there is something else," she said.

"Such as?"

The sorceress didn't know how to begin. Her senses were on high alert, wary, cautious of spilling too much for fear it'd come back to haunt her. Her suspicion and mistrust was yet another thing that had been drilled into her through her experiences at the HIVE and beyond, ground practically into her own personality. And it projected itself onto the intentions of others, even the good guys, even the heroes.

Another thing she had to think about.

"You're friends with the Titans right?" she said finally.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"So you know how they're like with each other?" she went on.

His head tilted curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

A floodgate opened up inside her and she found herself spilling the thoughts that had been swirling around in her head. "How they work and fight. How they hang out. They're like a family. They can trust each other. They watch each other's backs all the time and they don't… there's no… I don't know what it is but they _have_ something and…" Her face grew hot. She averted her gaze, hugging herself tighter. "…And I… I _want_ it."

Kid Flash's tone and expression became serious. "Jinx," he said gently, "You _can_ be part of that. You can have what the Titans have. All you have to do is make a choice."

She turned her back to him. "They'd never accept me," she said glumly.

"I wouldn't be too sure," he insisted, touching her shoulder and bringing her attention back to him. "They took Terra back didn't they? And she'd done way worse than you ever did."

"And then she turned into a rock," Jinx commented dryly. "That's not very encouraging." She gave a small wry smile. "Personally if I do decide to switch sides I'd rather redemption not equal death."

"Fair enough," Kid Flash shrugged. "I'll make sure there aren't any exploding volcanoes around when you make your choice."

"You're really immature, do you know that?"

He beamed. "You're too kind."

Jinx sighed. "Listen Red, I'm really not in the mood to argue right now. I'll give you a minute to zip off and go do your hero thing somewhere else before I send hexes at your head. Got it?"

He frowned, obviously disappointed that the sorceress didn't want to discuss things further and with his progress in trying to convince her to jump ship. But he nodded and said, "Okay Jinx. But think about what I said, all right?" Then he whizzed off in a swift blur and a small noise of wind, and left her alone on the street once more.

"Like I've been doing anything besides that since I got out here," she muttered sarcastically at his wake. She dropped her hands after a moment or two and resumed her long, slow walk through the city.

She didn't want to admit it, not to herself and definitely not to the speedster, but she knew she was close to a decision. Her mind had argued it back and forth for days, ever since Kid Flash had approached her and let her know that her paths weren't as limited as she thought, that there was more for her and her "evil" powers than following the road of least resistance. She had weighed the options, assessed her own desires, considered the consequences. Except for the one that occupied the forefront of her thoughts now.

She stared up at the sky.

If she did make a heel face turn, it would require one more act of villainy. In her attempt to find a place where she fit in, where she could trust the people around her, and rely on real friends without any hesitation… in her pursuit of a world without backstabbing and betrayal… she would have to betray and break the trust of the friends she had now.

Irony of ironies.

Jinx let out a short breath and then let herself smile faintly. Well, she'd never been one much for black and white morality anyway. Always preferred the gray tones. Kid Flash would probably start trying to scrub that out of her as soon as she moved into the Tower. Weird enough, she thought, she almost wouldn't mind. Darn him and his cheerful heroic influence. Maybe tomorrow she'd let him hang around longer. He was pretty fun to argue with. Even if his boy scout tendencies did get on her nerves.

Jinx glanced at a clock in a window, deciding she would turn in early tonight, and reversed her direction, starting the long trek back to the hideout.

Her choice hadn't been made yet.

But already she could guess what the outcome would be.


	35. Snark Bait

Cyborg grumbled a little as he worked his wrench, tightening something on the undercarriage of his car. This task wasn't really necessary (in fact, he was pretty sure it was completely useless) but he needed the distraction from his current project, which was lying in twisted, charred, and otherwise unrecognizable pieces on the work table at that moment.

"Need any help?" a familiar gravely drone asked.

Cyborg slid out from beneath the T-Car to see Raven standing near the right front wheel. He set down the wrench and started picking himself back up. "Nah," he told her. "I got this one."

"You sure?" Raven pressed, violet eyes sweeping the room and settling on the parts on the table.

The young man stood to his feet. "You know how to weld a thermal imaging casing back together?" he asked skeptically.

Raven grimaced. "Um…" she said, then shrugged cluelessly.

He chuckled a little. "That's okay. I didn't expect you to," he told her, moving over the workbench and picking up random pieces, looking at them a moment and trying to figure out what they used to be before giving up, putting them back down, and moving on to another set; a process that had been repeating itself for about half an hour before he'd gotten fed up and decided to futz with his baby for a while.

Raven walked over to the table, looking around his shoulder for a peek at what he was working on. (Or pretending to be working on rather.) "So…" she queried, peering at the wreckage, "what exactly _is_ all that?"

Cyborg gave an aggrieved sigh, then picked up a couple of the more identifiable parts. "This," he explained, "used to be part of the T-Ship's back engine." He put those pieces down and moved on to another cluster. "This," he continued, "was supposed to be that new thermal imaging device I was trying to install in the Tower's security system." He moved to the end of the worktable and Raven followed and watched him as he lifted up one last mangled metal part. "And this," the cybernetic teen finished, "is all that's left of what _once_ was the gas tank of the R-cycle."

The empath's eyebrows raised and she blinked, a bit taken aback. "What happened to the R-cycle?"

The older boy tossed the part back on the table and resumed his grumbling. "Boy Genius wrecked it last night on patrol. The bike came out mostly unscathed, thank heaven, but something punctured the tank and leaked gasoline all over the underside." He rubbed the top of his head in frustration. "I had to pry it out. You know there are only three tech companies in Jump City that even _make_ this kind of tank anymore?"

"For good reason I'd imagine," Raven put in, looking around Cyborg at the gaping puncture wound in the cylinder, now beginning to wonder if a certain Boy Wonder was hiding injuries from her again and whether or not it would be prudent of her to walk right up to him and ask him point blank.

"Right. Anyway, I'm just trying to identify all the pieces so I know what to get when I go to the auto parts shop this afternoon." Cyborg grabbed a rag and wiped the grease off his palms, then sidled a glance at her. "You wanna come with?"

Raven put her thoughts to the side for the moment. "Sure," she replied. She breezed out of the garage airily. "I'll get my coin purse."

-TT-

The streets weren't too crowded that afternoon, as the empath and the half-robot walked in companionable silence. Raven welcomed the relative quiet, closing her eyes and taking the opportunity to clear her head and calm her senses. To her side, she could pick up traces of nervous excitement from Cyborg. Raven cracked open her eyes and sent a guarded suspicious look at him. He seemed unusually happy to be out and about today.

Her ponderings were distracted as they passed by a bookstore. Raven's steps noticeably slowed and then stopped as the empath turned and gazed with wide eyes through the front window with something akin to fangirlish glee. A passerby might almost have expected her to press her hands and forehead against the glass.

"Mind if I go inside for a moment?" she asked, pointing through the window.

Cyborg glanced back, confused, then his eyes flicked towards the display inside that was closest to the window.

Oh, right. Raven's favorite suspense author had a new book out.

He smiled warmly at her and nodded. "Not at all. Take as long as you need."

Raven went straight for the door, pulled it open, and had soon disappeared into the store.

Cyborg crossed his arms and leaned against the storefront nonchalantly for a moment. Long enough to make sure the empath was thoroughly occupied. Then he turned his head looking up and down the street, grinned, rubbed his hands together, and pulled out his cell phone, pressing a certain number on speed dial.

-TT-

By this time Raven had reached the display dedicated to the latest best-selling release from her favorite author. She made the mistake of cracking the book open as soon as she got there and for several minutes was unable to tear her eyes away, hungrily devouring the opening chapters. Reluctantly though, she finally pried her gaze off the pages, closed the book, and made her purchase.

New book hanging in a plastic bag from her fingers she stepped back out onto the street, ready to apologize for taking so long, but stopped. Her mouth closed and a puzzled expression came over her face. Now where had Cyborg gone?

She frowned and looked around, relaxing when she spotted the half-robot in the park across the street. She waited for the traffic to clear, then stepped off the sidewalk and walked up to him.

It took a moment for him to notice she was there. He was looking off, distracted by something and Raven made it all the way back to his side without him realizing it. Even then he didn't acknowledge her until she spoke up.

"Cyborg—"

Cyborg jumped and shrieked in a completely undignified way. "Aaah! Raven! What are you doing here?"

One of her eyebrows lifted. "Accompanying you," she reminded him. "On the trip the auto parts store. _Which you invited me on_."

He sweatdropped. "Uh… right, right. Of course!" he covered quickly.

Before Raven could ask just what was up with him, a young and identifiably female voice called out.

"Cyborg!"

The two Titans turned to see a teenage girl, hair golden, eyes blue, skin light and clear, and with a bright smile waving at them from a distance. The girl then dropped her arm, readjusted the bag on her shoulder and began walking towards them.

Raven's face took on a neutral "Aha!" expression as she realized what was going on. No wonder Cyborg had practically pushed her through the bookshop doors.

"Sarah!" Cyborg exclaimed, trying to sound surprised and failing miserably. "Wow, hey, I um… didn't expect to see you here," he added in a lower voice, for Raven's hearing only, obviously hoping to play the situation off.

"Nice try," Raven said, smirking. "Do I get an introduction or what?"

He gave a sheepish grin. "All right, you caught me," he confessed. As the young woman reached them, he gestured to her with one of his hands. "Sarah, this is my friend Raven. Raven, this is Sarah."

Sarah extended her hand with a friendly smile that reminded Raven of a youthful kindly kindergarten teacher. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"Likewise," Raven replied, giving the girl's hand a quick, firm shake. "So _you're_ the mysterious girlfriend that Cyborg sneaks off to see once each week."

"I take it he doesn't talk about me much," she laughed.

"Well we _do_ have a devious internet-savvy little green minion as a roommate," the empath said, shrugging. "Plus it's not exactly smart for who you're dating to be public knowledge in our line of work. You tend to want to keep your romantic entanglements unobtrusive." She paused a moment, then amended, "Unless you're the two most lovesick and sexually repressed members of the team, that is."

Sarah laughed again and in the corner of her eye Raven could swear she saw Cyborg's expression turn to pure bliss at the sound of his girlfriend's voice.

"Oh dear, Sparkplug told me _all_ about that," the young lady told her.

Cyborg's bliss vanished suddenly and he blushed a little, cringing. Raven stifled a snort of laughter.

"Sparkplug?" she repeated, eyebrow raising, leaning in with perceptible interest and an evil, almost predatory grin, inviting the girl with her posture to please continue and dish out as many details as possible if you can manage it thank you.

"Anyway—" Cyborg interrupted loudly, desperately attempting to change the subject. "I just wanted to touch base with you real quick before we made our way to the auto parts store. New gas tank for the R-cycle and all."

The girl shifted her bag to her other shoulder, becoming excited. "Oh! I'm going that way myself, actually. Why don't I come with you?"

The half-robot's eyes widened in horror. "Uh…" He coughed and stuttered nervously, beginning to sweat. "That really isn't neccessa—"

"Oh, I insist," Raven cut off, coming forward to take Sarah by the arm, that conniving and devilish smirk still in place. The empath began leading the girl down the walk before her cybernetic teammate could protest, bending towards her ear in a conspiratorial way. "So tell me Sarah… how _exactly_ did Cyborg get that—" She looked back over her shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows smugly. "—'nickname'?"

Cyborg was beginning to see the grave error and heinous mistake he'd made in introducing his girlfriend to Raven.

-TT-

Said girlfriend hit it off with the empath quite well. She walked with them all the way to the store, chatting casually and telling Raven a myriad of embarrassing stories about Cyborg, which made the cybernetic teen sink further and further into his shoulders as time went by, falling behind the two girls as he turned profusely red. They paid no heed to his grousing. Raven, in fact, started putting in a few stories of her own as they entered the shop and trailed along behind him. Cyborg eventually resorted to slouching and grumbling under his breath as he picked up the necessary parts and took them to counter, slapping the change down in front of the exceedingly too cheerful adolescent clerk with a terse grumble.

"Have a nice day!" the clerk beamed.

Cyborg grunted in response, taking his stuff without making eye contact.

Raven glanced forward at that and chuckled. "I think we've crushed his sense of male dignity into powder," she commented quietly to Sarah.

The girl's mouth turned upward in a wry smile, blue eyes glinting with shared humor. "Ah, he'll get over it. One thing I've learned about him is that he has a remarkably tough ego."

"You can say that again," the empath agreed. She fell silent a moment as they stepped back into the sunshine of the late afternoon, studying the girl with quiet contemplation. Her senses read that, underneath the young lady's lighthearted teasing, she exuded an aura of warm affection for her cybernetic boyfriend. "You really like him, don't you?" Raven asked.

Sarah averted her gaze with a shy grin, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Yeah… He's considerate, caring… he treats me right. He may act grouchy sometimes, but inside," she winked, "he's really just a big soft teddy bear."

Raven nodded, satisfied. Sarah straightened.

"Well," she said, "I'd better get going." She caught up to Cyborg and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry for ribbing you so much today baby. See you soon?"

Cyborg tried to look disgruntled, but couldn't quite manage it with her good-naturedly playful expression on him. He gave up and dropped the scowl, shoulders slumping. "Yeah okay," he mumbled. "Love you."

"Love you too Sparkplug," Sarah said, hugging him around the arm before heading off down the other street, calling back a goodbye to Raven as she went.

The two Titans were rooted to the sidewalk for a few minutes, not saying anything. Once his girlfriend was safely out of earshot, Cyborg raised his head and glared at Raven.

"If you say a word to _anyone_ —" he warned.

"Your secrets are safe with me. I promise," Raven assured him quickly.

Cyborg sighed in relief. "Thanks Rae. Really." He rubbed his head. "Having Grass Stain bug me about her is enough."

Raven shrugged. "She's sweet, pretty, and genuinely enamored of you. What's there for him to tease you about?" she asked rhetorically. Then her eyes narrowed. "Of course," she informed him, "if you ever abandon me in a bookstore again, he _will_ be hearing about the mashed peas, chicken suit, and wall outlet story."

Cyborg gulped.

-TT-

Robin and Beast Boy were both seated on the couch when Raven entered the common room after she and Cyborg got back, engaged in a tense video game match. Beast Boy was bouncing up and down, clicking buttons wildly and keeping up a running stream of bravado.

"Ha! I have you down to half-strength! I own this round!"

Robin bit his lip in concentration, focusing intently on the movement of his character on the screen.

Raven rolled her eyes at their antics and plopped down into a seat, cracking open her precious new tome.

"Hey Raven!" Beast Boy called over his shoulder. "How was your trip?"

"It went well," the empath said, already picking up where she'd left off in the bookstore. "I met Cyborg's girlfriend."

"Really?" the changeling asked, perking up and twisting around on the couch to face her, forgetting about the game for a moment. "Dude, what's she like?"

Raven put her feet up and turned the page. "She's nice. Works with kids at the Perez community center."

"Cool." Beast Boy turned back to the game. "HEY!" he cried.

A perceptible smirk appeared on Robin's face and his button-flicking intensified.

Cyborg entered the room at that moment, still in a sour mood. He tromped across the floor, dropped one of his bags with a loud _thomp!_ on the coffee table, and leaned over towards Robin's ear.

" _You owe me,"_ he hissed darkly.

The Boy Wonder went still a little nervously (except for his fingers of course), eyes widening slightly, wondering what on earth he had done. Cyborg did not bother to explain, however, gathering up his remaining bags and heading off for the sanctuary of his garage. He deliberately chose to avoid the amused, teasing look Raven was sending him overtop her book.

"Watch out for mashed peas," she teased.

"Don't push it," he growled, the door sliding behind him.

Raven mentally filed away all her new snark fodder and gleefully absorbed herself in her book.


	36. Scratch Marks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, I always felt a little miffed that we never got to see the other Titans making up with Beast Boy after the events of "Beast Within" and that's basically how this chapter happened. Also tried giving a bit of motivation for some of Robin's ah... boneheaded actions in the episode.
> 
> Enjoy?

They found him in the main room.

Late morning sunlight slanted through the window. In the shade just outside the square of light sat Beast Boy at the breakfast table, idly picking at his food. To his side, Raven stood a little ways behind him, warm cup of tea huddled in her hands, taking slow, occasional sips.

The three remaining Titans hovered in the doorway, watching the empath and the changeling's strange silent companionship. Their faces bore the same heaviness as they gazed towards their friend. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin glanced at each other with matching expressions of guilt. Robin half-turned back to the scene in the kitchen, feeling the others' eyes on him, waiting on his lead. He sighed and forged ahead into the room, and the other two followed, their thoughts all playing back the events of last night.

-TT-

_The heart monitor beeped softly, the only sound in the room. The three of them were clustered around one of the beds, watching its current occupant's still floating form. They huddled beside Raven, as though their numbers offered a weak sphere of protection around the unconscious empath… and themselves. A little distance away, a small figure was sitting in the examination chair, staring towards them anxiously, the only member of the group currently excluded from the circle. The only member who, up until now, had never shown any form of aggression or hostility towards the rest of them whatsoever._

_Beast Boy looked across the distance of the room at the cluster surrounding Raven, biting his lip, his arms around his knees like a scared child._

_They wouldn't let him near her. They wouldn't even let him near_ **_them_ ** _. They hadn't let him close ever since he'd woken up in the sewers, soaking wet, his clothes torn, a pounding headache coursing through his skull. His initial confusion had immediately vanished when he'd caught sight of Raven's prone form behind them._

" _Raven!" he'd cried, scrambling up and trying to rush to her side. Before he could blink, Starfire and Cyborg were in front of him, directly in his path. Cyborg had had his sonic canon out and Starfire had charged up a starbolt. They'd stood there in front of him, blocking his way._

" _What happened?" he'd asked frantically. "Is she okay?"_

" _Please…" Starfire had begged. "Come no closer."_

_He'd checked himself then, staring at the Tamaranian in bewilderment. Her eyes were wide as saucers; her starbolt trembled as she'd held it leveled at him. She was terrified._

_Beast Boy had felt his stomach churn with worry. He'd tried to look around her to where Robin was picking Raven up from the floor, grunting with the effort._

" _She… she doesn't look good," he'd whispered weakly._

_The other Titans were silent. Robin did nothing but look at him with hard, apprehensive eyes._

" _Guys?" His voice was raspy, hoarse._

_They didn't speak to him_ _—barely even looked at him_ _—the whole way back to the surface. He'd trailed after them, hesitant, wanting to run up and see if Raven was okay, but confounded by the fearful uncertainty and guard his friends had put up to prevent him._

_They'd cast furtive glances back at him every so often._

_When they'd reached the car Robin handed Raven off to Cyborg, who'd carried her easily and set her down inside on the back seat._

_They hadn't let him in the car with her._

_He'd followed them from a short distance as they sped home, deadly silent. It wasn't until they'd reached the Tower that he couldn't stand it anymore. He'd burst out with questions. Robin and Cyborg looked at him somberly, but otherwise ignored him, as the cybernetic teen fetched Raven from the car and began transporting her upstairs._

_In desperation, he had turned to Starfire._

" _Star please," he'd begged, "What's going on? Why won't you let me near Raven? How did we get into the sewers?"_

_Starfire's wide green eyes had a thousand different conflicting emotions running in them. "You…" she'd started, then had to stop and swallow the emotion straining her voice. "You had become some manner of vicious animal…" she managed softly. "We heard Raven scream…"_

_Beast Boy's heart had given a jolt of panic and distress at that. "Wh—what d'you mean?" he'd stuttered._

_Starfire bit her lip but said nothing. At that, he'd gotten irritated. His voice became harsher and a low growl rumbled through his chest. A haze clouded his mind._

" _What happened Starfire?" he'd demanded. At her continued silence he'd gotten angry. He'd stepped towards her and yelled "What_ ** _happened?!_** _"_

_She'd gasped and backed into the wall. Robin's arm immediately inserted between them and the next instant the Boy Wonder's face was hiding her from view._

" _Back off!" Robin snapped, his body shielding Starfire's protectively._

_Beast Boy blinked, the sudden rage gone, a stunned expression on his face as though he'd been physically struck. As Robin and Starfire moved off he'd stood bewildered at the anger that had possessed him. He… he'd yelled at Starfire. He never yelled at Starfire._

_He'd stayed frozen in place while the other Titans left the garage with Raven, finally deciding to go up to his room and change his uniform._

_It was then, when he'd seen the scratch marks, the ripped-up sheets, the broken furniture, that he'd remembered. The lab… Adonis… his attitude… that argument with Raven… being angry… breaking things in his room… pain…_

_And then nothing._

_A sinking feeling had hit his stomach then. He fell to his knees. What had he done? For several minutes he could do nothing but stay paralyzed on the floor, trying to summon back the memories from the blank period of time in between demolishing his room and waking up in the sewer. He'd thought about what Starfire had said… that he'd become some kind of animal… and the growing realization made him sick. He'd dug his nails into the floor, willing what he'd eaten that day to stay down._

_He didn't quite manage._

_Wiping the cold sweat from his face, he'd quickly changed into a new uniform and slipped into the med bay, cautiously creeping across the room and sliding into the examination chair, where he stayed, quiet and fearful, while the other Titans assessed Raven's condition._

_Robin was the first one to glance back and acknowledge him. "Cyborg," the Titans' leader called, tilting his head towards the changeling in a silent order. Cyborg nodded and moved off towards Beast Boy, who reluctantly uncurled from his fetal position and let the older boy run examinations on him._

_The nervous energy in the room began to dissipate as the minutes passed and Beast Boy showed no signs of returning aggression. He seemed like himself again, and that started to reassure them there was no danger. Cyborg passed back and forth between the changeling and Raven, taking measurements, checking the readouts on the monitors. Starfire looked toward him anxiously a long while, before she left Raven's side and fetched a cup of water. She floated over to Beast Boy and offered it hesitantly._

" _I don't think I could keep it down Star," he mumbled, shaking his head._

_The Tamaranian princess set it down by him anyway before returning to Raven. Eventually the changeling gave in and picked it up, downing it in large gulps to loosen his dry, tight throat._

_Robin eventually made his way to Beast Boy as well. He raised his hand, paused and thought about it a moment, then went ahead and put it on the changeling's shoulder._

" _You okay?" he asked._

_Beast Boy didn't look up from his empty cup. "I feel terrible," he said._

_Robin let out a heavy breath. Time to dig for answers. "What happened?"_

" _I don't know."_

_The Boy Wonder's brows furrowed. "You don't know," he repeated._

" _I don't remember," Beast Boy muttered under his breath._

_Robin frowned._ **_Not_ ** _the answer he was hoping for. Beast Boy was the only one who could've given them something more to go on than rough guesses and circumstantial evidence. If he couldn't help them… "Okay," Robin acknowledged, straightening up and wandering back over to Raven's bedside. "Work on it," he told the shape-shifter. Maybe Cyborg had something…_

" _What…" Beast Boy's voice called after him, strained, wavering. "What do you_ ** _think_** _happened?"_

_Robin stared straight ahead at the displays on the wall, and didn't turn around, weighing the choice. At length, he admitted the truth. "We think…" he said, "… you might have attacked Raven."_

_The cup went clattering to the floor by the chair. "No…" Beast Boy whispered._

_Starfire's worried gaze lifted to him, and then to Robin as he rejoined her in vigilance over Raven. Her hands were clasped against her chest._

" _There is… an explanation yes?" she inquired, her eyes darting from Robin to the readouts on the screens._

" _I'm sure there is Starfire," he reassured her. His gaze became distant. "There has to be," he added to himself. He stared off into space, losing himself in his thoughts._

_For a long moment they were all quiet. No one said anything, no one moved from the spot they were rooted to. Only the steady beeping of Raven's heart monitor broke the uneasy silence. Cyborg pressed buttons on the medical computer, going over his findings. Beast Boy sat glumly in his chair. Starfire gazed down softly at Raven's floating form as the empath bobbed up and down._

_She couldn't bear the tension._

" _Is she… all right?" she asked._

_The question brought everyone back to the present. Cyborg's head lifted and he pointed at one of the displays._

" _She's alive, but she's in some kinda trance," he told them._

" _She's healing herself," Robin said, watching the process as the empath hovered several inches above the mattress, eyes closed, completely relaxed._

_Beast Boy spoke up then, the distress clearly evident in his voice._

" _And you're telling me… I did that to her?" The shape-shifter shook his head. "That's impossible!"_

" _We found you with her," Robin told him._

_Beast Boy wasn't listening. "No!" he cried. His head shook harder. "I wouldn't! I mean, we had a fight but I would never…" His vehement denial trailed off. He couldn't say it._

_Starfire met his eyes from across the room. "She was in your teeth," she said quietly._

" _THAT'S A LIE!" he screamed, the rough growling undertone suddenly back._

_Robin tensed, willing himself to stay calm. His mind was still trying to come up with a plan, an idea, an explanation, a way to handle this, something. Something that would prove his friend hadn't attacked Raven, hadn't done what all the evidence seemed to point to, was not violently unstable and a danger to all of them, and Beast Boy yelling at Starfire was_ **_not_ ** _helping. Robin managed to keep his face neutral as he turned around and stepped toward the agitated changeling._

_His voice was very even. "I'm going to ask you to keep… your voice… down," he warned._

_Beast Boy's jaw clenched as he glared with an alien seething fury. His hand gripped the handle of the chair tightly, trembling with barely-contained rage. Robin kept on high alert, preparing to put himself between the changeling and the rest of his team, if need be. Beast Boy had already attacked Raven (from all appearances at least). Cyborg and Starfire would not be next._

_But the need never arose. Beast Boy's expression twitched and softened, the anger fading away as suddenly as it had come. Weak shock replaced the wrathful glare. His eyes dropped to the floor._

" _What's happening to me?" he whispered hoarsely._

_Cyborg spoke up as the computer finished its analysis, and all eyes turned to him. "I'm picking up traces of recombinant DNA," he said. He glanced back over his shoulder. "It's not human."_

" _The chemicals at the lab?" Robin questioned._

_Cyborg nodded. "Because of the shape-shifting, his genetic code was always unstable," he explained. He looked ruefully at the display showing the mutation in Beast Boy's body. Whatever it was had changed Beast Boy from the inside out, on the molecular level. And Cyborg didn't know how much farther it would go. "Maybe it's just... finally falling apart," he mumbled._

_Coming undone from the inside seemed to be lost on Beast Boy for the moment. Instead, Raven's still, unmoving form had his full attention. His voice quivered. "Raven..." he breathed. "She's gonna be all right, isn't she? I mean... she's not moving." No one answered and Beast Boy pulled his eyes away and put his head in his hands. "What have I done?" he whimpered._

_Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire traded a guarded look, their thoughts running along the same path. What had happened that day… they would never have expected it from their little green shape-shifter. Possibly from Robin (they all knew how he could get during a case, especially one involving Slade) or maybe Raven. But never from Beast Boy. It was Beast Boy for crying out loud! The changeling had never gotten angry, not like that, dangerously, violently angry, an unstable force of animalistic nature. The idea that he of all people could suddenly develop an attitude and then viciously attack and injure one of his teammates… they just couldn't comprehend it. It didn't register properly in their minds. (Likely why, in spite of how scary it had been initially, they were not as frightened to be in the same room with him now.)_

_Robin couldn't think clearly with that conundrum beating at his brain. There_ **_had_ ** _to be another explanation. He had to get to the bottom of this, to determine for certain what had gone down, what the next course of action was. He had to find the answers, mostly for the changeling's sake so they could find out what was wrong with him and fix it, but also for the others' sakes should the unthinkable prove true. Robin was still hoping, fervently hoping, that it wasn't… but if Beast Boy proved to be a viable threat to the Titans… he_ **_would_ ** _protect his team._

_From the look of it, Cyborg couldn't tell them anything. And Raven sure wasn't waking up anytime soon. The answers were in Beast Boy's head._

_So he was going to get them._

" _You need to tell me what happened," he said. A statement, not a suggestion._

" _I told you, I don't remember_ _—any of it," Beast Boy protested. "We had that argument, I went to my room, I was angry, and then nothing." His eyes clenched and one hand went to his temple as his brain made a cursory rack of the dark blank period in his head. "Claws... a scream... nothing!" he told Robin, straightening back up._

_Robin set his jaw. That wasn't acceptable. They weren't going to get anywhere if Beast Boy kept hedging and giving vague non-answers. They could wait, maybe, to see what Cyborg could find, what a more in-depth analysis would turn up. But that wouldn't tell them what had happened to Raven, whether the shape-shifter had attacked her or not, and if so, whether the danger was still present. Those things he needed to know now. He didn't have time for Beast Boy's dodging. Channeling the methods of his former mentor wasn't very savory, but he was at a complete loss. He didn't have a whole lot of options, and he didn't know what else to do._

_So he pushed._

" _Claws and a scream isn't nothing. What else?" he pressed, stepping around to the other side of the examination chair._

_Beast Boy slumped in his seat. "That's all," he maintained._

" _No, it isn't," Robin insisted. "You have to focus."_

" _I am!" the changeling cried._

_Robin leaned down to Beast Boy's level. "You have to remember!"_

" _I'm trying!" he whined._

" _Try harder!" Robin ordered adamantly. The changeling began to sweat as Robin continued pressuring him. "If you can't tell me what happened, I have to assume the worst." Robin reminded. "I have to put you in jail. You_ ** _need_** _to remember!"_

" _I CAN'T!"_

_Beast Boy's heart monitor suddenly began doing double time, and the changeling yelped and shouted in pain as he hunched over, grimacing and jerking about. Beast Boy's face contorted, a titanic struggle between rage and agony. Robin's eyes widened and he stepped back, stomach plummeting with the sinking realization that he'd pushed the shape-shifter too far._

" _Beast Boy!" Starfire cried. She moved towards them._

" _No!" Robin shouted in panic, holding up his hand to stop her. Whatever trigger had caused the last assault, he knew he'd just hit it. It wasn't safe. She couldn't get near…_

" _Get away from me!" Beast Boy growled, though whether to Starfire or something else, they couldn't tell._

_Starfire halted where she was and came no closer, a horrified expression on her face. "What is—"_

_A ripping sound suddenly added to the din. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire watched in paralyzed terror as the shape-shifter began changing before their eyes. His uniform shredded and his snarls and growls grew deeper in pitch until, with a final snap, the wolf-like creature from the sewers stood up in the place of their friend._

-TT-

Beast Boy showed no sign that he noticed their approach, continuing to push the food on his plate around with his fork. It wasn't until Robin spoke that they had his attention.

"Beast Boy."

He looked up. "Oh." He looked back down at his plate. "Hey guys," he greeted.

"We need to talk," Robin told him.

Beast Boy set down his fork and scooted his stool out a ways from the counter, angling it to face them. "Okay," he said, still not making eye contact.

Robin glanced briefly at Raven, who just stared back coolly at him, then turned his attention back to Beast Boy, who was busy finding his shoes exceptionally interesting. The Boy Wonder tugged at the roots of his hair and took a deep breath.

"Look, I…" He paused and dropped his hands. "I'm sorry for how I treated you last night," he said quietly.

"We all are," Cyborg added.

"We wish to apologize," Starfire put in, her head dipped low. "We were... mistaken… in our assumptions. We allowed our fear and confusion to dictate our actions."

The changeling's cheeks flushed with dull heat. "S'not a big deal," he muttered almost inaudibly.

"Yes, it is," Robin insisted firmly. "We were too hard on you." He sighed again and then amended, " _I_ was too hard on you. I shouldn't have pushed you like I did. I made a poor judgment call with the way I handled the situation." The Titan lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

"I failed you as a leader and as a friend and I—" Robin was cut off by a pair of arms being thrown around him. Beast Boy had popped up from the stool and… hugged him. Robin blinked.

"Dude, seriously—" the changeling said, pulling back. "Cut it out. I forgive you."

"You—huh?" Robin said, confounded, having never been interrupted on one of his self-depreciating rants before.

"I mean, yeah, I'm still a little mad and bitter and… hurt." He thought a minute then gestured with his hands. "Okay, a lot hurt. But, I was…" He looked back and shared a significant look with Raven. "Um, thinking about it this morning and… I kinda understand somewhat where you're coming from?" Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. "I was really scary out of control like that. I even scared myself," he said, giving a small sheepish grin. His expression turned more serious. "But you guys are still my friends no matter what. You should've trusted me a little more."

"We should've trusted you a _lot_ more," Cyborg said, speaking up from where he'd hung silent at the back of the group. His expression was cowed and full of remorse. "You're right B, we _are_ still friends," he said. "We shoulda acted like that before we acted like heroes."

"Oh!" Starfire cried, rushing forward and crushing Beast Boy with a hug. "Forgive me for ever doubting in you my friend!" she wailed, almost on the verge of tears.

Beast Boy wheezed as the air in his lungs was pressed out of him. "Can't breathe… Star…" he gasped.

She let go.

The shape-shifter coughed, inhaled deeply, a hand on his throat. "It's okay Star," he told her a little hoarsely, smiling at her reassuringly. "Actually I owe you an apology too. For screaming at you and stuff." He dug his toe into the carpet. "It was out of line," he told her.

"You are forgiven," the Tamaranian replied.

Cyborg rubbed his neck. "I don't suppose there's any way we can make it up to you?"

"Maybe," Beast Boy waffled. "I'll think of something later. Honestly guys, it wasn't that bad," he assured them.

"It could always have been worse," Raven piped up to remind them.

"Yeah, exactly!" he agreed, shooting a quick grateful look in Raven's direction. "I mean, it's not like you had to strap me down to the bed or anything," he pointed out.

"…Gee _thanks,_ " Robin grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at the floor at the reminder.

-TT-

Raven kept a close, but unobtrusive watch on the Titans' interactions for the next week, seeing how everyone was, and how the relationships between them were slowly healing. Beast Boy himself was a little quieter and more subdued for a while, which was both a relief and worrisome to her. (She made frequent empathic check-ups on his emotional state, noticing when it started becoming clearer and healthier.) As for the other Titans, Robin locked himself in his room for two days, still beating up on himself for his error in judgment, and Starfire wouldn't stop apologizing profusely whenever Beast Boy was in range. But gradually, things began to go back to normal. Beast Boy started cracking lame jokes around the dinner table again. Starfire started laughing again. Cyborg risked raising an argument about tofu versus meat and it was met… about as well as it ever was, which was certainly a sign that things were improving.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were the first to completely recover, and three days after the fateful "were-beast" event could be seen, dueling to the death on the gamestation, back to their old selves. A day or so later, the changeling invited Starfire to come with him to adoption day at his favorite pet store. From the way their auras glowed when they came back, laughing, their eyes bright and shining with shared childlike wonder, Raven could tell that they were on the mend too.

She started worrying after a week about Beast Boy and Robin but that soon passed the day she heard strange grunting and panting coming from the gym. She peeked in through the door and almost chuckled at what she saw. The changeling and the Boy Wonder were sparring; Beast Boy was taking many different animal forms in rapid succession as he fought and it was clear from the chagrin on Robin's face that the young martial artist was either legitimately outmatched or just _allowing_ Beast Boy to clobber the bejeezers out of him to make him happy. (Raven put her money on the latter and wondered to herself just how that conversation might have gone down.) The fight ended when both boys collided and cracked their skulls against each other. Raven winced and almost went inside, but the boys sat up laughing, lightly punching each other on the arm and she relaxed.

She smiled when she saw the Titans' leader extend his hand to the changeling to help him to his feet, and gently slid the door shut again, feeling the weight of the event finally dissipating. She walked away quietly, letting the two alone to heal behind her.


	37. Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up rounding out my trilogy of "Worry", "Weakness", and this chapter, "Wounds". And yes, this is post-Tokyo so Robin and Starfire are "together".
> 
> Whump incoming. Warning for major character injury.

The sky boiled above him, heavy with an impending thunderstorm, as Robin leapt agilely from rooftop to rooftop. The cool night wind bit through his clothes with an icy chill, keeping him sharp and alert. The air breathing through his lungs smelled fresh and clean, imbued with moisture. Adrenaline pumped through his limbs. He ran across the mortar ledge of one roof before jumping down to the flat of another, feeling a rush of excitement at the familiar weightlessness of falling before landing solidly in a crouch.

He stood breathlessly. It felt good to be out on patrol tonight. He'd needed a break, a chance to clear his head from the hectic goings-on of hero work. The physical exercise didn't hurt either.

He straightened and walked to the edge of the roof, putting his foot on the ledge and checking the time on his communicator.

10:15.

Robin clicked the device off and replaced it, gazing out over the tops of the buildings, towards the bay and the Tower in the far distance. The storm looked like it might break any minute now. He'd finish up his circuit and then turn in early to avoid the rain. Robin backed up for a running start, and then hopped down to the lower building, easing right back into his search pattern. He went through the rest of his circuit absentmindedly, thoughts already wandering back to the Tower ahead of his body, looking forward to seeing Starfire, who was waiting up for him as usual. A small grin made its way onto his face as he pictured the way her eyes would light up, how her lips would spread with that wide vibrant smile he adored…

A sudden noise came from one of the alleys below. Robin pulled himself out his daydream, skidding to a stop as he looked down in annoyance. A thin, human-shaped shadow was flitting through the gap between the two silent, derelict buildings, a small bag clutched in his hands. Robin almost dismissed the figure until it stumbled, dropping several glinting pieces of jewelry out of the bag. The thief cursed and stooped down immediately to pick them back up.

Robin sighed. No rest for the weary. He stole a glance back towards the Tower as he got out his grappling hook.

_This won't take long,_ he promised himself.

He shot the line out and waited until he felt it catch, then leapt off the roof and swung down towards the perp, angling his body so he'd hit feet first.

The thief never saw it coming. He uttered a loud grunt and flew forward as the Boy Wonder bowled him over. Using the burglar's back as a springboard, Robin let go of his line and back-flipped, landing on his feet effortlessly. His bo staff was out a moment later, twirling expectantly in his hands.

"In a hurry to get out of the rain? Or are you just worried someone will see you with all those stolen gems?" he commented with a smirk.

The figure stumbled to his feet and faced the young Titan. He was just barely an adult—nineteen, twenty at the most—dressed in all black with piercing hazel eyes, which glared in irritation.

"Scram kid," he said. "You really don't want to get involved in my business. It ain't gonna be pretty."

All serious now, Robin struck a fighting stance. "Give yourself up or we'll see how _involved_ I can get with someone's business," he told the crook, his eyes narrow and firm.

"I warned you," the thief shrugged, tossing the bag off to the side.

Robin wasted no time and charged forward with a yell. The crook managed to step back to avoid the first swipe but Robin followed up with a heavy overhead strike and brought it down—

Only to discover that his target was no longer there. Robin's eyes widened in surprise and he peered at the ground under his staff where the criminal should have been. He straightened, his gaze darting about the alleyway in search of his foe. A scrabbling sound came from above and he looked to find the teen clinging like some kind of animal to the brick wall several meters above him, almost at one of the second story windows. The young adult shot a predatory vindictive grin down at him, before drawing his fist back and punching it through the window. He hauled himself up the last few feet, as though his nails were digging into the mortar, and disappeared through the hole as the sky behind lit up with lightning.

Robin snapped out his stunned stupor and shot off another grapple at the receding figure. He felt the first drops of rain on his arms as the zip line yanked him up towards the window.

He didn't quite clear the broken jagged pieces of glass still stuck in the window frame and hissed as one of the bits scraped his back. Landing on all fours inside the room he reached back with his free hand to feel the long narrow tear and the thin blossoming line of blood.

_Just a graze,_ he noted in mild relief. Springing to his feet again, he held his staff at the ready. None too soon, for his opponent lunged from the black, throwing punches. Robin dodged and then struck forward.

To his utter astonishment, the thief caught his staff head on with both hands. Robin had no time to think, for a split second later he was thrown back onto his haunches. Robin grunted, came to a stop, stared in bewilderment. The crook was strong. Inhumanly strong. He stood upright and casually as though hurling the young Titan across the room had taken no effort whatsoever.

"Shoulda scattered when ya had the chance kiddo," the not-so-petty criminal taunted. He spread his arms and legs and, before Robin's eyes, began to transform.

Robin watched with an uneasy feeling rising in his stomach as the teen grew taller, legs shortened, arms lengthened into lean pillars, face became flatter, eyes bigger and more serpentine, ears grew into sharp points, nose sunk in to become slit nostrils. Mouth stretched and became wider, filled with gleaming pointed teeth. Hands and feet curled into huge claws with long deadly-looking talons and all along its back sprouted sharp spines. Robin didn't see what happened to the thing's clothes—whether they ripped off or just disappeared into its pale porous-looking skin. He backed up against the wall, placed the flat of his hand on the bricks behind him as he cautiously got to his feet.

_Okay. I'm in it way worse than I thought._

Not one to back down from a fight though, he darted forward underneath the thing's forearm. It snarled and rushed to come about and Robin felt the hiss of air as its jaws snapped just shy of his ear. He whirled and yelled, planting the end of his staff straight into the creature's leg joint. It buckled and went down with a howl and Robin sprang toward its head, hoping one quick blow would put it down the rest of the way. It twisted its body full circle though and Robin found himself face to face with it as it clamped down on the center of his staff, its teeth uncomfortably close to his hands. Its yellow eyes gleamed with tranquil hostility and its putrid breath blew hot on his front.

Robin's heart pounded.

The stand-off lasted only a moment as the villain lifted him up and tossed him towards the other corner back by the windows that faced the alley. Robin barely had time to somersault upright before the thing was on him again and he was desperately ducking, dodging and side-stepping the quick, powerful swipes of its claws. It caught his arms a couple times, and the side of his head once, his reflexes wrenching him just enough out of the way that the talons glanced off his skin. As he parried and backpedaled, the back of his mind was acutely aware of the shrinking distance between him and the wall. The flashes from the window behind him flickered across his opponent's face.

Robin anxiously looked for an opening to escape into the clear. It would _not_ be good if the thing caught him pinned against the wall.

He never got the chance.

He raised his staff to block a blow—

And the thing's claws _slashed right through it_. He dropped the remaining pieces in horror.

Frantically his hand shot to his belt. No sooner had he pulled out the bird-a-rang to defend himself with than the creature stabbed at him with an arm. Its talons tangled in the blade, and the force and weight of the hit caught him off guard. Without thinking he put the other hand on for support and then panicked as he realized he'd left his entire left side completely exposed.

The villain's eyes lit with a vicious triumphant gleam.

It struck forward like lightning through Robin's compromised defenses and buried its taloned claws hilt-deep in Robin's leg.

"AAGH!"

Robin doubled over with a scream as blinding white pain seared through him, consuming all his senses in a split-second of pure agony.

The thing took immediate advantage of his distraction and planted a heavy, solid uppercut to his chest. Robin flew backward, straight through the window and out into the rain, shattering the glass on impact. The pieces cut and scraped his skin as he felt the cool wind and the rain on him and the dizzying rush of gravity took him and he was falling… falling…

**_CRUNK!_ **

He hit the top of a dumpster in the alleyway and the wind knocked out of him, throat closing up as the jolt pierced through his back and head like a bullet, seemed to separate his ribcage from his spine. He rolled off and landed hard, face first onto the wet pavement with a damp _smack!_

He lifted his face from the cold asphalt and gasped—a desperate breathless rasp of shock and the vital need for oxygen.

The lightning flashed on cue, illuminating his trembling, frozen form on the ground. The thunder rumbled lowly in the distance.

He could do nothing but breathe. His mind, his body, everything could only register the pain, the nerves that were shrieking out at him all up and down his back and legs. The rain beat down on him from above, gently and gradually soaking through his clothes.

He lay where he was, dazed, trying to gather his wits.

Finally, he shifted, slowly turning more onto his side. He rested on his shoulder, his left arm mostly underneath him now, fingers splayed limply. He twisted his head and blinked up at the sky. The rain had already matted his hair down. He reached up gingerly and pushed a few wet locks out of his eyes.

Looming above him, the square black eye of the window he'd fallen from was dark and empty. No sign of the vicious inhuman teenager. For the moment.

Hopefully it was satisfied and making a getaway.

Robin's thoughts returned to the situation at hand. Slowly, very slowly, he eased himself into a semi-upright position. His burning nerves loudly protested every small movement and Robin's face contorted in pain as he turned over onto his back, putting his hands flat on the slippery pavement, trying to prop himself up on his elbows. His leg gave a sudden sharp pang. He hissed through his teeth and froze, looking down at it. One of the talons was still embedded deep in his thigh, almost to the bone it felt like. He clenched his jaw tightly, shifted, leaned most of his weight onto his right elbow, reached out weakly with his other hand and clasped the talon with shaky fingers. He briefly debated with himself on whether or not to ease it out slowly but then decided to plow ahead and yanked the piece out of his leg in a single swift movement.

The new flare up of pain made him yelp. He cringed and flinched, curling into himself, tossing the talon carelessly and haphazardly off to the side. He clamped a hand on the wound to stop the bleeding, biting his lip.

From somewhere to his right, there came a vindictive hissing cackle. Robin's head jerked up. Through the rain he saw a dark shape drop from the upper story, into the far end of the alley. It landed somewhere out of sight. The dumpster blocked him from being able to see it, but with the heavy gait and laughing hiss there was no mistaking what it was.

Robin's heart began to race. He scrambled to get up, frantically trying to find purchase on the slick wet asphalt with his hands, holding in the small cries that every protesting pang in his body was eliciting from the movement. The lightning flashed again, illuminating the alley with a second of bright clarity. Robin grit his teeth in determination and with a final shove managed to push himself into a sitting position. His side gave a sharp sting and he doubled over with a small groan, clutching his ribs. He looked up through the dripping wet strands of his hair towards the edge of the dumpster. The heavy footfalls and evil laughter were getting closer now. Robin narrowed his eyes. His hand eased lower, grabbing towards his belt. He carefully withdrew several explosive disks, watching the dumpster's edge closely.

At the first sign of clawed feet, he leaned forward and hurled the disks out with a yell. The explosion resulted with a satisfying terrified yelp from behind the dumpster. The clawed feet vanished and bounding steps were fading away from him, shifting halfway into lighter, human steps that vanished into the backdrop noise of the storm.

Robin sighed in relief.

Slowly, cringing, he pushed himself backwards with his palms and heels, until he felt the moist brick against his back. Relaxing against the wall, he took a quick inventory.

The gash in his leg was the worst, obviously. He'd need to take care of that one first. Several cuts and scrapes on his arms, the glass most likely. The shoulder he'd landed on felt bruised. His spine felt intact, but from the tearing sensation when he'd hit the dumpster he'd probably broken a couple ribs. Likely several. There were pinpoints of stinging back there too. He reached around, fumbling fingers discovering a shard of glass embedded in his skin. He pulled it out, and one of the pinpoints lessened, but the rest were too high up on his back for him to reach.

Could he stand?

He braced his shoulders against the wall and attempted it.

"AAAH!" The pain knifed through him and he slumped back down. "Nngh…"

_Okay, bad idea._

He thought quickly. He couldn't get up, and even if he could there was no way he'd make it back to the Tower like this. He'd bleed out before he was even halfway there.

The cold water pelting him splashed his mind with a rush of clarity.

_Starfire._

He had to call Starfire.

Once again he reached into his belt, this time for his communicator. His fingers trembled as he held it. He pressed the button to alert her that the channel was open.

She answered almost immediately, her bright, happy voice chirruping through the sound of the rain to greet him.

"Yes Robin?" she inquired.

"S… Star…" he gasped. His voice was a breathless, raspy wheeze. "I need help…" he told her. "I ca… I can't move…"

He could practically hear the shift of her mood.

"Where are you?" she asked anxiously, on edge and worried at once.

Robin glanced towards the street. "Corner of Elm and Fifth… about three blocks from the warehouse district… in the alley…" he managed.

"I shall be there immediately!"

"Hurry…" he croaked out before the channel shut. He flicked the button off, and bent over slightly to tear a long strip off his cape. He wrapped the strip around the wound in his leg for a make-shift bandage. Putting pressure on the gash, he leaned his head back, relaxing against the wall and breathing heavily.

His eyes turned skyward to wait for Starfire and the rain made wet trails down his face.

-TT-

He hadn't waited long. In only a couple minutes, Starfire had dropped from the sky to his side.

She'd freaked, of course, when she'd seen him, but wasted no time and gathered the limp Boy Wonder in her arms. Robin, already woozy from blood loss, made no protest as she'd lifted him up and blazed through the sky at breakneck speed, heedless of the rain that assaulted her, pelting her front like hail or liquid bullets.

Now the two teenagers were in the med bay together, Robin sprawled face-down across one of the beds as Starfire tended to him.

His shoes, cape, gloves, shirt and tunic all lay in a damp pile on the floor.

She'd looked to his leg first, recognizing that it was the most grievous. It had distressed the Tamaranian princess greatly how he was still bleeding even after she'd been staunching the wound on their way there. The sanitary cloths and tissues she'd pressed to it seemed to turn red almost instantaneously.

Finally out of desperation and panic, Starfire had cauterized the wound with starbolt energy from one of her fingertips. Which had hurt, and he could still feel it burning, but wasn't nearly as bad as getting hit with one of the things head on and had done the job. Now his thigh was clean and bandaged and Starfire was focusing her attentions on the shards of glass stuck in his back.

It looked like the poor boy had been through a war. His skin was marred by several thin cuts, including one long one going up his lower back. Around the shards the skin was red and irritated and he bruised deep purple (possibly yellow and green as well) across the back of his chest, where he'd slammed the dumpster. The shoulder he'd landed on was dark with a large ugly bruise as well and more cuts had opened up on his arms. The side of his head and his arms bore several shallow incisions, parallel to each other, from the creature's claws no doubt. As he'd thought, multiple ribs had been broken. He was also bruising on his chest where the thing had pounded him, and a small prod revealed that his collarbone was cracked on top of everything else.

He looked entirely worse for the wear and Starfire wrestled with herself every minute whether to stay and keep tending to him or bolt from the room to wake up Raven. Every time she began to voice her dilemma, she bit her lip and kept it in, looking at her boy lying across the bed with his torn-up back in hopeless worry. She couldn't just _leave_ him.

As if he could sense her thoughts, Robin reached over and put a hand on her wrist, grasping her arm gently.

"Stay…" he begged.

That decided it for her. She melted and blinked back her tears. She couldn't leave him. She wouldn't. She would stay right there by his side until her task was finished.

Robin let go and Starfire leaned over him, picking up a pair of tweezers from the cart. She settled her fingers gently on his warm skin and set about picking the bits of glass out.

She worked quietly. Robin made no sound, no movement save only the occasional wince. Starfire paused a moment to brush her hair out of her face and reached for the final shard.

The moment her tweezers pinched it, Robin jerked, his eyes clenching shut tightly, fists balling, as though she'd poured scalding hot water on him. Startled, she jumped back, taking a closer look at the shard's location. She frowned, face crinkling in dismay. It was just beneath his shoulder blade, dangerously close to his damaged ribs and… oh… oh _X'hal…_

Her stomach dropped out.

It was _stuck between the bones._

Starfire hesitantly nudged it from another angle.

"O-ow," Robin whimpered beneath her.

Her fingers withdrew and she pressed her lips together. There was nothing for it. Any way she took it out, it was going to _hurt_. Shaking herself, she re-gripped the tweezers with sweaty hands, steeling her courage.

"I fear this will cause you much pain," she told him in preemptive warning and apology.

Robin dropped his hands below the side of the bed, gripping the metal frame to brace himself. He nodded in understanding.

Starfire pressed her palm to his back, bent over, and began to ease the piece out.

It wouldn't budge at first. It was wedged in tightly in the gap between the second and third ribs. She had to wiggle it back and forth a few times to get it loose; she could practically _hear_ the glass scraping against the bone and fought the urge to squeak. She felt Robin tensing and seizing up. His hands spasmed and he struggled to regain his purchase on the cool metal frame. He held on with an iron grip until his knuckles turned white, his face ashen and contorting with pain. He seemed to cease breathing.

Starfire held her breath as well as long as she dared before the shard finally slipped free. Her jangled nerves shuddering in relief she tossed the tweezers on the tray and then zoomed to the cupboards, flinging open the doors and rummaging haphazardly in search of anesthetic. Berating herself for not thinking to get it earlier she located the bottles and hastily filled a syringe. Returning to Robin she pinched the needle through the skin next to the hole and slowly squeezed the contents into his back.

His face relaxed, the tension in his limbs eased up and they both released a heavy exhale they'd been holding. Robin's death grip on the metal bars eased. He stayed as he was and breathed for a minute, welcoming the dull, numb feeling spreading through him. Listlessly he raised himself up to a sitting position.

Starfire didn't stop fretting as she tended to his other wounds, swabbing antiseptic, taping down gauze and bandages. She was so preoccupied she didn't notice the weak, lazy contented smile Robin had as he gazed at her.

Finally, when she was wrapping his chest, he caught her arms and stilled her. She looked up into his eyes, trying not to cry. She would be strong for him. She would not flinch.

He folded his arms around her, drawing her close, and though she kept the tears in, there was no masking the urgency with which she reciprocated. They held each other for a long time, she clutching his shoulders and pressing her face into the hollow of his neck, he just holding her gently and stroking the back of her hair.

At length, she pulled herself out of his embrace to finish up her bandaging. Her hands shook as she smoothed down the end.

"I am sorry," she whispered. "I should have administered the anesthetic before..."

"It's okay," he reassured her. She straightened up, finished, and he touched her check. "It's okay," he repeated. "You did good."

Her emerald eyes glistened. "I…" she started, then stopped to clear the tightness in her throat. "I wanted to get Raven but… I could not bring myself to leave you," she confessed.

His thumb brushed under her eye. "We'll bother Raven tomorrow," he promised. "She'll probably be cranky if we wake her up now. 'sides," he said, taking her face in his palms, "I'm already in good hands."

She breathed back a sob, a single stray tear spilling out from her glimmering eyes. He wiped it away with his thumb and drew her face close to his, his eyelids falling closed.

Their lips touched, he wrapped his hands around her as their kiss grew more insistent…

-TT-

Raven shuffled groggily down the hallway, rubbing her eyes, after having reluctantly pulled herself out of bed not a few minutes before. Her tired empathic senses tugged her toward the med bay. She'd known something was up when her hereto-for restful night's sleep had been interrupted by subtle abstract images and impressions of claws, glass, rain, and blood. She'd groaned and rolled over in her sleep, recognizing who the intruding thoughts belonged to. She had attempted to ignore them, but found she couldn't with all the mental noise buzzing her senses. Only a moment before Robin had been projecting loud enough to wake the dead.

Or at least her.

She'd laid on her bed for a long time wrestling with herself on whether or not to go check up on him or let Starfire handle it by herself, since she was up and mostly likely there with him already. She knew the alien princess was well capable of taking care of things. And, quite frankly, she really didn't want to be up at this hour. It really wreaked havoc with her meditation. Finally, when the projections still hadn't ceased, she'd decided just to take a quick peek to put her mind at ease and see if the two were okay.

Her steps slowed as she neared the door, her senses registering a sudden shift in the emotional climate of the room. The loud obnoxious pain projections were dimming at last and in their place was contentment. And… love?

Raven stopped in the hallway curiously. What were the two doing in there anyway? She stepped up to the open door and poked her eyes around the edge.

They were kissing.

She gave a small smile.

Well _that_ figured. Raven took quick stock of the—ahem!—blissfully occupied Boy Wonder and frowned at what she could see of the Titan's condition. No blood or visible injuries but the bandaging was extensive.

…Seeing as how he was well enough to make out with Starfire though, she decided he was okay.

She stepped back from the doorway now with mild unease, starting to feel like a voyeur. Quietly, she reached for the door and slid it closed gently to give them some privacy. She looked through the window one last time and saw that they were leaning their foreheads together, gazing into each other's eyes.

Cute. Almost. If Raven were the type to be moved by that sort of thing. As it was, she just smirked and turned back to the hallway with a yawn, already looking forward to diving back into her soft sheets and forgetting about whatever stupid thing Robin had done to get himself hurt this round for a few more hours.

Her soft footfalls matched the quiet calm now within her mind.

-TT-

Robin pulled away, breathless, as their lips broke contact and just rested his forehead against hers. She smiled and pushed a stray, still-damp strand of hair out of his face. It felt a little like being back in Tokyo. Of course, he hadn't _quite_ been in this much pain in Tokyo.

The anesthetic was making him feel a little drowsy. His head drooped a bit, the tip of his nose now brushing her cheek.

"Thanks for coming to get me," he murmured.

"Thank _you_ ," she told him. "For not being stubborn and calling for my aid."

Her breath was warm on his face. She smelled of the rain that still made metallic pings against the wall outside. Much nicer than the creature's breath had been.

He leaned back from her a bit, eyes lowered. "I'm sorry I made you freak out," he whispered.

Starfire's only response was to hug him again, bringing her legs up onto the bed and laying her head on his shoulder. "You need not explain," she said softly.

He eased his arms around her, his hands tangling in her hair. His lids were falling to half-mast, but he staved off the fatigue settling in for a little bit longer. He had to tell her...

"You saved my life you know."

She flushed, looking distinctly uncomfortable, and hid her face in his bare skin. "I was merely doing what was necessary and required," she mumbled. "I am sure you were not in nearly as much danger as that."

"But it's true," he insisted, pulling her up to face level again. His voice lowered. "You always save my life."

The glint of a smile touched her lips. "No more than you do mine," she countered.

He chuckled briefly, then yawned. "I think I'm starting to nod off Star…" he said, voice beginning to slur a bit.

Her eyes tightened in worry. "Did I give you too much anesthetic?" she asked.

"Nnm," he uttered, gradually uncurling from their embrace. "'m just tired." He leaned back to rest on the bed. "Y'can go now… if y'want… I'll b'fine…" he assured her, head sinking into the pillow and heavy lids struggling to stay up.

Starfire gazed at him. Seeing him like this again… pale, injured, and small… The way he was sometimes—so strong and unafraid—she almost forgot how human he was, how small and defenseless he could be. Lying there, covered in bandages, the weakness of sleep sapping his limbs, he looked less a fearless hero and more a thin frail boy who worked too much and slept and ate too little.

It didn't matter to her though. She loved both parts equally and would stay by his side whichever part needed her. Tomorrow he would need rest, care, and healing, but tonight, for now, all she could offer was her comforting presence.

And she would give it freely.

She shook her head. Her finger traced a long line down his chest, making the skin prickle with goosebumps. "I do not believe I wish to depart," she said.

"'kay..." he acknowledged, voice barely audible now. She settled down next to him and he managed wrap his arm around her shoulders. "G'night Star…" he murmured.

She curled up against him, nestling into the nook of his arm. "Good night Robin."

"Love you…" he said, eyes finally falling closed.

"And I as well…" she whispered gently.

He was out in only moments. Starfire's consciousness lingered a while longer, listening to the gentle sound of the storm, before she shut her eyes too. Their breaths rose evenly, joining the rhythm of the rain as the two teenagers were soon fast asleep.


	38. Admittance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I hadn't quite squeezed all the mileage out of the last chapter's plotline so I wrote a follow-up.

Raven was bleary-eyed that morning and her head was buzzing dully from that fuzzy unsorted feeling she got when her senses were in disarray. She needed to mediate. That empathic disruption that had interrupted her sleep last night had thrown her inner calm off-kilter and it was going to take at _least_ half-an-hour to sort herself out and clean up the lingering mess the rude awakening had made.

But first she needed some tea.

The door to the main room slid open before her and Raven blinked at the sudden grayish sunlight that hit her face. The sky outside the windows was still overcast from the last night's storm so it didn't take very long for her eyes to adjust.

Unsurprisingly, Robin and Starfire were already up, seated together on the couch. Starfire was nested in the crook of the Boy Wonder's arm, eyes closed, resting contentedly. Robin played listlessly with a strand of her hair.

Raven observed the couple passively, then went over to the kitchen to start making her tea.

"Morning," she called in her gravelly monotone.

Robin straightened at her greeting, glancing over his shoulder back towards her. "Morning Raven," he replied. He seemed about ready to say something else, but, observing the empath's tired expression and mussed hair, thought better of it, and relaxed back in his original position. Raven ignored him for the moment, and turned her attention to the stove to heat up her water. She breathed in the warm steam and sighed, feeling her tension ease. Behind her Starfire's eyes poked open and she nudged Robin gently in the side, taking care not to prod him anywhere he was injured.

_"Should we not inquire of her now?"_ Raven heard her whisper.

_"Not yet,"_ Robin replied. _"We'll wait until she's finished with her morning meditation."_

Highly courteous of the boy to think of her needs, Raven noted. But she could stand to put if off for a little while longer, she decided, pouring her water and plopping the tea bag in her cup. The hot porcelain in her hands and the pleasant fragrance of her tea (and to some extent, the calm emotional stability of her two teammates) was doing a remarkable job of cleansing the discord in her mind. She might only need ten minutes of mediation at this rate.

Raven took a long sip and felt her insides warming up as the liquid dripped down her throat. For several minutes they were all calm and quiet as Raven drank the contents of her cup and the couple on the couch sat peacefully against each other. Raven finished the tea shortly. She swallowed and set her cup down with a breathy exhale and then turned towards the other two Titans. She stepped up to them.

"Okay, enough dilly-dallying," she said, crossing her arms. "How badly did you hurt yourself?" she demanded.

Robin looked up in surprise. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked cluelessly.

"Cut the hedging Robin. I know you were in enough pain last night to project past your mental defenses."

"Oh. Right." He grimaced apologetically. "Sorry? Did I wake you up?"

The empath rolled her eyes. "No Robin, I just _imagined_ rolling out of bed in the middle of the night," she told him.

The young Titan pulled away slightly from Starfire, muttering an aside in her ear. "Told you she'd be cranky…" he said. He glanced back up at Raven, hesitant.

"Well?" she prompted.

He didn't answer for a long moment. Raven stood impatiently, tapping her foot a couple times. Starfire sat on the couch watching him with gentle, though slightly concerned eyes.

Finally he lowered his gaze.

"It wasn't that bad," he said quietly.

"Oh please," Raven huffed, throwing her eyes towards the ceiling.

"Truly Raven, he is in satisfactory condition," Starfire put in, straightening, her hands clasped at her chest. "At least presently."

Raven nodded. "I believe you Starfire," she told the alien, "but I still need to know, if our esteemed leader here wants to see any hint of a magically accelerated and speedy recovery courtesy of my services," she continued, shooting a glare at the uncooperative Boy Wonder. While she was in no way begrudging of Robin's incessant need for privacy (understanding that need herself), she had been privy to too many incidents of Robin hiding some grievous injury from them, going out to fight again without giving them any hint, getting hurt _worse_ and then requiring an emergency healing to fix a punctured lung or clipped artery or something. The team had chewed him out for this practice several times, but it never seemed to take. Raven wasn't about to take another vague brushing-off this time, not when she _knew_ something had happened, _knew_ that it had been bad, and had Starfire to back her up. She impressed her disdain and annoyance on Robin through their mental bond.

Surprisingly he managed a faint smile. "I can't get anything past you can I?" he asked, small glint of humor in his eyes. "You know you're awfully _nosy_ for someone who claims to love privacy so much." Despite the accusatory tone in his voice, she could tell he wasn't going to fight her this time. It made both her and Starfire immediately relieved.

She sighed heavily.

"Lift up your shirt."

Robin obeyed, tugging up his tunic just far enough so Raven could see all the scrapes and cuts and the heavy bandaging circling his chest.

The empath closed her eyes. "Azar above, what on earth did you _do_ to yourself?" she muttered, opening her eyes again.

His tone turned serious. "I didn't plan this, I promise" he told her, eyes somber as he pulled his shirt back down. He gave the account briefly and succinctly. "Tried stopping a jewelry thief," he said. "Turned out to be more of a threat than I could handle. Sliced my leg and tossed me out a second story window. I've got… how many ribs did we count again Starfire?" he asked, twisting around towards the Tamaranian.

"Four, with possibly a fifth one cracked or fractured." she replied.

He nodded and continued. "Four broken ribs on the back, one cracked collarbone, a few colorful bruises, and a lot of cuts and scrapes," he finished.

Raven stood as though stunned, blinking dully at him. Robin bit his lip, wondering what had her so surprised. It couldn't have been the extent of his injuries—he'd been hurt _way_ worse than that before… The empath's continued stare made him feel uncomfortable.

"You know…" he said uncertainly. Perhaps he was imposing too much on her by springing an implied request for healing or something. He didn't know. "You don't _have_ to heal me if you don't... if it's too much…" he stumbled over his words and stopped to take a breath. "…Maybe this time we should let it heal on its own," he finally managed. "I don't mind."

That garnered a reaction finally, a small, curious head tilt and an amused smirk. "You don't? That's a surprise," Raven commented.

Robin's discomfort grew. He broke eye contact, heat flushing through his cheeks. "Really Raven, I'm fine. Starfire did a good job last night patching me up," he mumbled, hoping to stave off any further questions and just end the conversation. It was getting unsettlingly personal.

"I don't doubt that."

"Then—"

"It's just not like you to be so open about it," Raven explained. She leaned casually against the armrest of the couch. "Not that I expected you to ignore the question but you've never given a full account like that before, even after I've badgered you. It's quite an improvement," she continued, her smirk widening. Hearing Robin actually admit the fact that he was hurt, and to what extent he was hurt to boot, after the many times he had neglected this highly important duty, was immeasurably satisfying.

Robin seemed annoyed. He sent a small glare her way. "What were you _expecting_ me to do?" he demanded.

"Well, _normally_ you'd just deny the injuries even existed and brush off everyone who was trying to help you avoid getting yourself killed," Raven pointed out a little harshly. She nodded at the Tamaranian sitting beside him, watching their back-and-forth argument with mild apprehension. "Including Starfire." The empath took a breath and let go of her irritation and shrugged. "I'm just curious, that's all. What changed?" she asked him.

Robin was the one blinking in surprise now. "Oh." he acknowledged inadequately. He glanced about the room as though looking for something to aide his thought process. When his eyes fell across Starfire she nodded reassuringly, nudging him gently in the shoulder. Her touch instilled the confidence he needed to forge ahead and try to put his jumbled thoughts into words.

"Well…" he started. "I guess I realized that when I did that I was being stubborn and hard-headed, and… not showing enough trust in you guys." His gaze alternated between the two girls as he spoke. "Since I don't have powers I've always felt… I had to measure up to the rest of you, prove to myself that I was just as good a fighter, that you didn't have to worry about me holding you down and…"

He stopped for a moment and swallowed. He felt exposed, vulnerable, spilling his guts like this. But at the same time it felt good to release his thoughts and all his pent-up emotions. Almost cleansing.

He dropped his eyes to his lap, looking at his hands, and picked up where he'd halted. "…when I get hurt it makes me feel weak and useless," he whispered. Starfire shifted ever so slightly closer to him and slipped her hand inside his. Raven, for her part, merely watched coolly.

Robin's fingers closed around the Tamaranian's as he went on.

"And I feel like… almost as though I've let you all down by not being that iron invincible leader all the time," he admitted. He glanced back up at them finally, his smile lopsided, his gaze seeming to pay special, grateful attention to Starfire. "But I realized…" he told them. "It's okay to let you guys see me like that. Admitting my own weakness is the first step to gaining true strength."

Raven nodded approvingly at the show of wisdom. Starfire's eyes were shining in utter admiration, the edges shimmering with tears of joy. From the way she looked at their leader, smiling in wondrous awe like he was her greatest hero, Raven guessed this little life lesson had come courtesy of her.

Robin ducked his head sheepishly. "It's something I've never been able to admit to until now," he finished.

The empath stood to her feet, uncrossing her arms. "I'm impressed by your maturity," she commented simply, though she couldn't help but give her own smile.

Hers wasn't nearly as brilliant as Starfire's who pulled her hands to her chest as though she would burst from happiness. "And I as well!" she exclaimed. "Oh Robin, I am so _proud_ of you!" she cried, throwing her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.

"Ribs!" he gasped instantly, eyes widening. "Starfire! Careful!"

"Sorry!" the girl breathed, easing her arms off at once.

The boy coughed a few times before regaining his breath. His girlfriend's hands hovered next to him and behind his back, making sure he was okay. Robin looked up to see that Raven had gone back to the counter and was pouring herself a second cup of tea.

All three of them were quiet for a moment. Then Robin spoke up awkwardly.

"So… do you still want to take a look at me?"

Raven turned towards him and gave a crafty look overtop her cup. "I say we push your character development even further and see how you do healing on your own," she told him. "With plenty of _rest_ and _inactivity,_ " she emphasized with a grin.

Robin cringed. But he knew arguing with her was worthless. "Yes ma'am," he said meekly. Starfire giggled and leaned over to whisper encouragingly in his ear.

The empath finished her second cup and with a flick of her powers, tossed it gently into the sink for washing.

"If you lovebirds will excuse me," she said to Robin and Starfire, "I have to go meditate. Tell Beast Boy to leave the book I lent him outside my room if he finishes with it today."

She headed for the door.

"Wait—" Robin called after her. "You leant Beast Boy one of your books?" he repeated, puzzled.

Raven looked back over her shoulder with an impassive glower as the door swished open in front of her.

"You're not the only one showing some maturity around here," she snarked, before swiftly jerking her head forward and leaving the room.

The Boy Wonder stared after her before throwing up his hands and deciding he wouldn't get involved. He put his arm around Starfire and leaned his head on the top of hers.

"What does she even _have_ in her library that he'd want to read anyway?" he wondered.


	39. Kisses and Claws

A shaft of pale moonlight slanted across the floor as he waited, crouched in the shadows, for something marginally exciting to happen to slay his terminal boredom.

Speedy sighed. Out of all the possible things he could be doing right now instead of waiting around in the dark for some assassin to show up and kill an old fogy of a politician, sleeping probably topped the list. But what with the Titans East currently spread thin dealing with the aftereffects of a massive jailbreak, he had been the only one in the area and available when Bumblebee contacted the rest of them with the tip-off some low-life had pledged in exchange for not being arrested. (Bumblebee had collared the guy anyway, not in any mood to bargain that night after running down metahuman escapees the whole day.)

So now he was stuck doing some over-glorified babysitting at... what was it now? Two? Three in the morning? That sounded about right. Speedy pulled out his communicator and checked, noting and mentally logging the numbers on the display.

"I don't get paid enough for this," he grumbled, putting the device away.

He stretched the kinks out of his arms for the thousandth time and resisted once again the urge to get up and pace.

He was halfway through another full count of the number of tiles in the wood-panel floor when suddenly there came the slightest sound of movement from outside the window.

He stiffened, straightening to attention, his breath catching in his throat. His ears strained, listening intently.

There was definitely something scrabbling outside. Maybe on the wall, or in the tree.

Speedy withdrew a net arrow from his quiver very carefully, making sure not to make any sudden movements lest he startle whatever was out there.

A shadow obscured the moonlight from the window and there was an unpleasant screechy scraping noise. Speedy cringed, recognizing the tell-tale of glass being cut. He fitted the arrow to his bow and waited. Before long one of the window panes fell into the room, landing on the floor with a soft thud, and the shadow slipped inside, its slender-feminine, he noted-form dropping gracefully to the floor and landing in a cat-like crouch.

_Gotcha._

He shot off the arrow with a smirk. The figure started, instinctively leaping back and away but couldn't avoid getting partially entangled in the net. In the next moment though there came a metal _shnnk!_ and the net fell away in pieces as the assassin produced several knives attached to her hands like claws and slashed it through.

Speedy stood to his feet, stringing another arrow and holding it at the ready. He faced the assassin stiffly. There was something oddly and vaguely familiar about her. The figure finished ridding herself of the net, stepping back so that the moonlight fell across her, revealing a short green kimono with long sleeves and a blanch white mask painted with an eerie smiling visage.

Crud. Cheshire. AKA "Girl who'd kicked his rear" as Aqualad was none too loathe to remind him. Speedy had never heard the end of it.

" _She caught me off-guard,"_ he'd defended. _"I was distracted."_

" _Doing what? Were you looking at her butt instead of the razor sharp claws she was brandishing or something?"_ the hydrokinetic had shot back dryly.

"… _She was wearing a robe that cut off at the top of her thighs. Of_ ** _course_** _I was looking at her butt."_

The archer pulled himself out of his brief memory and forced his eyes to focus on her face (or mask rather) instead of the miles of highly distracting shapely leg her short kimono showed off.

Why were the hot ones always vicious killers?

He leveled his bow directly at her. "You can come quietly," he said, "or I can drag you to the nearest squad car by the hair. Your choice."

The assassin actually seemed to consider it for a moment. She glanced once towards the window, and also towards the bed at the far side of the room, where her mark was, calculating. Beneath the painted grin of her mask her own grin spread. She withdrew her claws. Slowly, she began walking over towards him.

Speedy tensed. Cheshire's movements were slow and languid and not even vaguely threatening and that put him even _more_ ill at ease. He kept expecting any minute that she would leap at him with raised claws but no attack came.

…Was it his imagination or was she swishing her hips?

He let off a shot just by her ear as a warning. She didn't even flinch as the electron-tipped projectile whizzed by her face. Speedy hastily re-cocked his bow with a new arrow as she closed to within a few scant feet.

What was she doing? Did she even know what one of these arrows could do to her at this range? Or… maybe that was her plan—

_Krunk!_

Cheshire suddenly darted forward to close the distance and planted a solid high kick to his chin. Speedy blew backward and into the wall as the assassin streaked across the room towards the bed, her claws flashing out and burying in the lump under the covers there.

She frowned immediately, the way the lump had yielded feeling undeniably wrong. Yanking out her claws she grabbed for the blankets and threw them off, stifling a curse as the movement revealed the oldest trick in the book-pillows and other blankets stuffed under the covers to make it look as though a person was sleeping beneath.

Speedy got up, wiping a dribble of blood from his mouth with a smirk. "Sorry sweetie. Your politician is in another castle."

She hissed. Wasting no time, she bolted for the window. Speedy unleashed a rapid volley after her and she leapt several times to avoid the projectiles, darting this way and that with a speed and grace he had to admire, even as he pulled out a new trick arrow.

Theoretically this one was designed to trail a cable line after it, pop open in midair, and latch onto whatever it hit, making for a quick zip line or lasso. (Had come in quite handy several times, in fact.) He wrapped the end of the cable line firmly around his wrist and made to snag the villainess before she could reach the exit.

That wasn't _quite_ how it went down.

Cheshire turned around and sidestepped the arrow just as it was about to hit her and it went sailing out the window instead, tangling in the branches of the tree outside. In a flash, she grabbed hold of the cable and yanked on it with both hands. Speedy yelped as he was forcefully pulled off his feet and across the room, where Cheshire promptly decked him in the face. Speedy went down, hand over his eye where he felt the bruise welling up as the assassin slipped through the opening in the glass. Wearily the archer shook off the end of the line around his wrist, got up and dived out the window after her, managing to latch onto her ankles.

She gave a strangely adorable shriek and lost her grip on the branch she was holding, sending them both plummeting to the ground below. They landed in a tangle of arms and legs and weaponry and Speedy accidentally caught Cheshire's claws across his forehead and arms.

He may have also accidentally copped a feel but that wasn't as important.

Cheshire elbowed him in the ribs and sprang up. Speedy followed suit and thus, the chase began.

Cheshire spring-boarded off a newspaper dispenser and scrambled up the facade of the building across the street with amazing agility. In only moments she had scaled the wall and gained the rooftop. Speedy huffed but reached into his quiver for a second cable arrow.

This one worked significantly better than the first attempt and the archer was able to clamber up to the roof after the assassin, briefly shouldering his bow so he could use both hands. Over the roofs he chased her, jumping over gaps, dropping into alleys, running up fire escapes, stopping only briefly to let off a shot or two. (He had to conserve his arrows after all; Bee had been getting on his case about letting them run out in the middle of combat.) As the pursuit went on, Speedy got the weirdest feeling that Cheshire was slowing, deliberately letting him get close before zipping away at the last second, maybe even… _enjoying_ the chase?

As soon as she started hiding behind things to take him by surprise—throwing a few punches and kicks at him and then ghosting away—and calling back to him in a language he didn't recognize but a husky teasing tone he did, he confirmed it. She was definitely toying with him.

Well two could play that game.

Speedy stopped his pursuit for a minute and ducked behind a piece of heating equipment on the roof they were currently traversing. The running footsteps of the assassin faded into the distance. Speedy held his breath, waiting. A few minutes passed silently. The tension in his body felt like a tightly wound wire. He forced himself to relax just a little, just slightly.

After a moment the footsteps came padding back, curious, hesitant. Speedy peeked out from behind the heater. Cheshire had wandered back to this roof, confused. She stood scanning the surroundings, looking for a sign of him.

" _Tốt đẹp?"_

She stepped closer to his hiding place, claws and arms lowered but held at the ready by her sides. She almost looked more like a lost kitten than the deadly assassin she was, for a brief moment.

Speedy let her get a few inches closer and then he leapt out from behind the heater and let off three shots in rapid succession.

Cheshire started, falling to the roof with the first arrow and whipping her arms up to deflect the next two, and then somersaulting gracefully back to her feet.

"Miss me?" Speedy teased.

The eerie grin of Cheshire's mask filled his vision as she rushed him. For a couple minutes they traded blows, dancing around each other evasively (possibly playfully on Cheshire's part, Speedy couldn't tell), blocking, punching, kicking. She continued to croon at him in that foreign language as she slashed at him with her claws. Speedy traded some snarky banter with her, hoping to distract her as he looked for an opportunity to disengage or disable the villainess. None came and he started to get anxious and annoyed and… did she just purr in his ear?

Shocked, the archer stepped back, blocking another punch with his bow.

Okay. So they were flirting with each other. Dangerously, homicidally, _violently_ flirting but still.

_How did I get myself into this? I didn't_ **_ask_ ** _to foil an assassination attempt and spend the rest of the night chasing and getting the crap kicked outta me by a hot Asian ninja chick._

Shaking his head and forcing himself to focus, Speedy managed to catch hold of one of Cheshire's wrists. He booted her in the stomach and she ooofed and crumpled to the rooftop, tucking her limbs and rolling until she'd regained her footing.

Now he finally had space to wield his bow again. But the moment he had an arrow on the string, off she went again, disengaging completely from their previous close combat.

Muttering a loud curse Speedy followed her back down to the street level.

This time she didn't bother teasing him by letting him get close. Instead, she teased him by staying _frustratingly just out of range!_ Every so often she would look back from whatever high perch she was seated on and cluck her tongue at the arrow that had just missed her.

She was just _taunting_ him now.

Growling, Speedy reached into his quiver for the explosive arrows. That was it. No more holding back on her now. She was going down.

Cheshire leapt off a theater marquee and landed in the cradle of a pair of old elms across the street from him. Speedy adjusted his sights as best he could with her bounding over random objects, always in motion, never touching the ground.

"Stand _still_ , dammit!" he yelled, aggravated. He found a spot under a covered canvas awning to stand and let her have two or three rounds of explosive arrows. The things made bright yellow conflagrations against the bluish dark of the night, but Cheshire in her green kimono seemed undeterred, unfazed, and generally unworried as the bright flares popped around her. The wide catlike grin of her mask beamed at him from across the way.

She suddenly gave a long leap back in his direction. He flinched but she disappeared from his sight.

"What the—"

He found out where she was a split second later as the long tendrils of her hair fell over the edge of the awning in front of him, followed by her familiar white visage as she leaned upside-down over the edge of the awning to face him.

The rims of Speedy's mask popped in surprise as she slid her mask up but he didn't get to see much of her pretty face before she reached for him, grabbing the back of his head roughly and pulling him close.

" _Hmp!"_ was all he could manage before her lips were suddenly pressed against his.

…Okay. Hot ninja chick was kissing him. He supposed there were worse things that could happen.

His arms hung uselessly at his sides a moment as his brain tried to reorganize itself and figure out what to do. He decided to roll with it. His right hand, with the bow still clutched in it, slowly drifted up to the back of her head, fingers tangling slightly in her hair. He pressed her to him, deepening the kiss, leaning into it. He swore he felt tongue for a split second.

Cracking his eyes open he reached up with his other hand and grabbed hold of her belt.

In one swift movement he yanked her down off the awning.

She squawked, her arms flailing as she dropped none too elegantly to the ground. The next moment Speedy had sat on her stomach, pinning her down and pressing one of her wrists to the pavement as he searched for his communicator with his free hand. Finding it, he flipped it open with a cocky grin.

"Speedy to Titans, come in. You'll be pleased to know I've detained the assassin that had that hit on our little councilman friend tonight."

Cheshire hissed, expression positively furious at being tricked. She punched up at him with the hand he wasn't holding down. Above her the archer continued, halfheartedly trying to fend her off and talk at the same time.

"I'm kinda busy trying to keep her in one place now so if one of you could call for reinforcements or better yet get Más and Menos down here that would be really— _ooof!"_

He cut off as Cheshire gave up on trying to dent his jaw and aimed her fist significantly lower, plowing into his diaphragm. Winded, his grip on both the communicator and her other wrist loosened and faltered. That was all she needed to wrench herself out of his grasp. She wiggled out from underneath him and planted a hard kick squarely in the worst and most painful possible place.

For a boy at least.

Speedy doubled over, grimacing profusely and biting his lip to keep in any embarrassing shrill noises he might be tempted to make. Cheshire had already scrambled to her feet and was bolting away from the scene, rapidly disappearing into the distance.

Speedy decided he wasn't going to be able to regain the ability to move in time to catch her and just stayed where he was.

_Well_ ** _that_** _definitely didn't go like I planned,_ he thought. _Ow._

Managing to look up he caught one last glimpse of her retreating form.

_Next time ninja girl, next time,_ he vowed as he let her run. Within seconds, every trace of her had vanished from the street. The archer drew a long slow breath through his teeth, his palms on the pavement, getting through the shock of the hit.

Belatedly the communicator decided to speak up. "Speedy, this is Aqualad," the hydrokinetic's voice came through. "What were you saying about that assassin?"

Speedy held his breath a moment, then blew out a pained wheeze as he picked up his communicator again, and brought it near his mouth.

"Never mind," he croaked hoarsely.

Wearily he eased himself up, grabbing his bow and getting to his feet. After all the excitement—and the previous tedious boredom—he was ready to crash. His adrenaline had been used up, his chasing had proved fruitless and useless, and his night was utterly spent. And now he was stiff and hurt all over and had nothing to show for it. He hadn't even gotten a decent look at Cheshire's unmasked face before she'd leeched onto his face to make out with him.

He sighed.

_At least she was a good kisser._


	40. Literary Pursuits

Beast Boy's eyes were still bugged out in wide shell-shock as he clutched Raven's book in both hands, walking stiffly in the direction of her room on an errand to return it to her. Reaching the Azarathian's door he shifted the book to the crook of one arm and reached up and tapped on the metal.

"Uh… Raven?" he called. "Can I come in? I finished the last book."

Expecting the empath to grumble and tell him just to leave the tome outside the door (like she usually instructed him to do) the changeling was pleasantly surprised when the door slid open and revealed Raven standing off to the side of the frame, amused expression on her face.

"That was quick," she commented. "You must've liked it."

Beast Boy nodded vigorously, bugged out eyes fixating on her in residual excitement. "You weren't kidding! That was the most _mind-blowing_ book I've ever read in my life!" he exclaimed. As he pried it out from under his arms and handed it over to her he added, "Also one of the scariest but the comic relief parts made up for that." He shuddered a little. "Though… I'm probably going to have nightmares about that giant monster thingy for the rest of my natural life," he told her.

"For what it's worth, I don't think anyone who's _ever_ read this series is immune to having nightmares about it," Raven offered, tapping the book with her finger idly.

"Yeah…" Beast Boy agreed. Shaking his head he refocused his eyes back to normal. "So, um…" He scratched behind his head. "You got any other stuff I might like to read in that bookshelf?" he asked with a nervous grin.

Raven raised an eyebrow, but waved him in before drifting off towards one of the shelves to return the book to its place.

Beast Boy looked edgily down at the floor for a moment, foot hesitantly raised, as if stepping across the threshold would cause something black and slimy to shoot up from the floor and grab his ankle. Which was not wholly implausible given some of the other loops Raven's room had thrown him, invited in or no. Finally he put his foot down and followed the empath into the room.

Raven was occupied looking for the gap where her book belonged. "Why the sudden interest in literature?" she inquired, locating the spot and gently sliding the tome back into place.

"I dunno," the shape-shifter shrugged. "I just like reading."

"Yeah. Comic books," Raven pointed out, leaning against her shelf and crossing her arms.

The changeling looked offended. "Hey, comic books are a big deal!" he protested. "You'd be surprised how brainy and uh, science-y they can get! I learn a lot from them."

"Uh-huh. Sure," the empath deadpanned, turning back to her books. Scanning the titles she perused over her collection, looking for something that might be of reasonable interest to her green shape-shifter friend.

_Definitely not that one_ , she thought. _No… no… too dark… too long… too depressing…_

Her eyes stopped on a sequence of squat red-cover paperbacks on the middle shelf. She reached up and tugged the first one out gently. "Maybe you'd like this series. It's by the same person who wrote that sword and sorcery collection you borrowed three weeks ago." She faced Beast Boy again, narrowing her eyes. "And haven't returned yet, by the way," she growled.

He laughed nervously, rubbing his neck, the sweat beading on his brow. "Oh, uh… er… I really haven't given that back yet? Heh-heh. Ooops," he squeaked apologetically.

Raven rolled her eyes and handed him the paperback. Beast Boy took it in both hands, squinting at the elaborate curvy letters of the title.

" _Knights of the Black Templar: Call of the Sea Siren,_ " he read. He looked up at her quizzically. "Since when are you into knights and mermaids?" he wondered.

The empath's eye twitched irritably. "I can't like the occasional high fantasy?" she challenged.

Beast Boy stepped back, waving his hands to placate her. "No no, that's not what I mean at all! It's just… really different. From your usual style I mean."

Pacified for the moment, Raven gathered up a few candles for her meditation. "I'm a woman of varied tastes," she told him.

"Pfft! Yeah right!" Beast Boy scoffed, moving over to the bookshelf. Raven glared slightly as he crowded her, leaning his head in really close so he could read all the titles. "Look at this!" the changeling continued, pointing. "Anne Rice, Stephen King, H. P. Lovecraft, Stephenie—" He stopped abruptly, pulling out one of the books with a bewildered look. "What's this?"

Raven yanked the novel out of his hands and covered it up with her arms. "Nothing!" she blurted a little too forcefully.

Beast Boy looked blankly at the empath, who seemed to be trying to bury herself in the hood of her clock, and then glanced at the shelf. His eyes lit with recognition.

"Dude!" he cried, voice starting to break up into hysterical laughter. "Is that that one teenybopper dark elf saga thing that's like insanely sugary and girly and hugely popular right now?!"

The girl didn't respond, but her gray cheeks flushed a _deep_ red.

Beast Boy threw back his head and guffawed, bellowing laughs emanating from the deep pit of his stomach.

"HA HA HA! That's too funny! Raven's deepest, darkest secret: She reads the _Midnight Chronicles_! HA HA HA HA!"

He clutched his sides, his ribs starting to ache. Eventually he toppled over and fell to the floor to continue. His laughing started to get broken up by wheezy gasps as he started running out of air to breathe.

Raven grew increasingly flustered, and, if possible, her blush deepened with every second as the shape-shifter's hysterical laughter continued.

Finally, fed up, her eyes began to glow. A low, menacing growl rumbled through her. The room darkened.

Beast Boy cut himself off with a yelp as a black raven claw surrounded him and his laughter went suddenly silent.

-TT-

A few moments later, a much better-feeling Raven leaned down towards Beast Boy's face. "And you're not going to make fun of my reading habits again. _Are_ _you?_ " she asked darkly.

From where he dangled upside-down in her telekinetic hold, eyes huge and fixated with an expression of mute horror, the changeling shook his head vigorously.

Raven dropped him and Beast Boy scrambled to his feet, grabbing up the book she was lending him. He flashed the empath a terrified smile and then bolted from the room.

-TT-

A couple days after that event, the Titans found themselves lingering around in the common room after lunch, having something of a read-in. Raven was in her usual spot on the couch, absorbed with re-reading a guilty pleasure of hers. ( _Not_ the Midnight Chronicles, Raven knew _way_ better than to read that series even in semi-public.) As for the other Titans, Cyborg thumbed through a sports magazine as he sat by a computer he was running diagnostics on, and Beast Boy was curled up in a patch of sunlight on the floor working on the last few pages of the book he'd borrowed. The same sunlight framed the final two as well. Robin and Starfire weren't actually reading but they were at the table bent over the newspaper together and attempting to solve the crossword puzzle. (It was going about as well as one can imagine given that Starfire constantly wanted to insert weird Tamaranian words as the solutions.)

Save for Starfire adding her helpful suggestions as she stood behind Robin looking over his shoulder, and the boy quietly correcting her, the room was rather peaceful, the perfect atmosphere for indulging in literary pursuits.

Raven was just to the part in the story where the heroine finally stopped being stupid and got back together with her half-demon ex-boyfriend when a familiar voice broke into her thoughts and concentration and demanded her attention.

" _Rae_ -ven…" Beast Boy called, drawing out the syllables with exaggerated pronouncement.

The empath slapped her book down on her lap with an irritated, "What?"

The shape-shifter dangled the borrowed novel in his fingers, swinging it back and forth a little in front of her. "I'm done," he said lightly. "Can I have the next book or what?" he asked.

Annoyance vanishing Raven voiced a small, "Oh." Then she shrugged and picked up her own book again. "Sure, go ahead. Help yourself," she told him. Her eyes flicked up to his face to flash a warning. "But don't _touch_ anything."

"In _your_ room? Not if I value my life!" the changeling assured her. Raven's gaze followed him as he bounced up and then over the couch.

"So… how was it?" she inquired after him.

Beast Boy paused a moment before he headed off towards the door, expression lighting up and becoming cheerfully excited. "Dude, it was _awesome!_ " he gushed. "There were like these sword fights and sea battles and like the sirens had giant silver _tridents_ that they used to sink ships and they were all fighting this really creepy wizardess who kinda disturbingly reminds me of Madame Rouge and—"

"I've read the book Beast Boy. I know what happens," Raven interrupted.

He rubbed his head sheepishly. "Heh-heh. Right. Anyway, I really liked it. Thanks."

Raven couldn't help but give a smile, which she promptly hid by turning back around and burying her nose in her reading. "You're welcome," she said in a low, contented voice.

The changeling exited, the door swishing shut behind him.

"Okay seriously," Cyborg piped up. Swiveling around in his chair he faced the rest of them. "Since when does BB _read?_ Stuff besides comic books I mean."

"It is a little odd," Robin agreed, looking up from the crossword and leaning his arms on the table.

"Perhaps he is merely following the advice of the television program he and I observed last week on the socializing procedures of your planet," Starfire suggested, twirling a strand of her hair. "In it, a man recommended picking up reading as a means of starting conversations and impressing members of the female species."

"Well _that_ doesn't make any sense," Raven commented, eyes skimming the text searching for the place she left off. "If his goal was to pick up girls why doesn't he have his _own_ set of books to read instead of always borrowing from me and why wouldn't he have them out and visible in places _outside_ the Tower? Who on earth is he trying to impress?" she wondered aloud, eyes glued to her pages.

…It suddenly got very awkward in the room.

Raven felt the eyes of the other Titans slowly coming to rest on her at the same time she felt a creeping realization that made her expression freeze up and her focus grind to a halt. She could sense her face heating up. She shrunk down a little in her seat, raising her book higher to cover her face, mortified and hoping none of the others were picking up on a certain implication that had just occurred to her but couldn't possibly be true.

…Right?

Fortunately for Raven, Starfire decided to come to the empath's rescue.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Look at the time of day it is! It is the point of day where I must water my snarfuls and journey to the mall of shopping for the procurement of new chew toys for Silkie!" she said in an over-casual voice clearly designed to change and completely derail the subject. She clasped Robin's arm with both hands, and tugged him to his feet. "Robin, I require your assistance most desperately for this task!" she told him, taking to the air and pulling him quite irresistibly behind her.

"Wha—?" was all the confused Boy Wonder had time to say before his superpowered girlfriend flew them both out of the room.

Relief flooding through her, Raven thanked the merciful heavens and mentally promised to thank Starfire later.

She hoped to forget the conversation and return to her reading but that didn't quite happen immediately. Instead, Cyborg took it upon himself to sit down next to her with his arm on the back of the couch and an overly friendly teasing grin on his face.

" _Soooo…_ " he drawled.

Raven gave him the darkest glare she could manage as she interrupted. "Finish that sentence and I'll stuff this book down your throat," she growled with complete seriousness.

Retracting immediately the grin dropped from Cyborg's face and the half-robot put up his hands as he got up and backed away. " _Oh_ -kay!" he said nervously, turning to go back to his diagnostics.

The Azarathian sighed and lifted up her novel again, finally able to read in peace.


	41. Winter Stakeout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to take a whack at some of the Honorary Titans I hadn't written for yet, and bring back a couple favorites too. Also wanted to write a Titans stakeout. So the ideas kind of merged together.

The small cabin looked very innocent; quiet, windows dark, and nestled between soft drifts of fluffy snow. The white powder coated the roof and window ledges of the cabin as well. A chill breeze lifted flakes into the air every so often, and rustled the branches of the green pines dotting the otherwise empty field around the wood structure.

The cold snowy weather was slightly less pleasant for the group of Honorary Titans currently scattered about the yard staking out the place, surrounding the cabin in a loose circle. Bushido had divided them up into three groups—himself and Kilowatt on one side, the brothers Thunder and Lightning on another, the final two taking up a third point somewhere between.

Pantha blew out a long breath that rose in a misty white puff from her mouth. She rubbed her arms furiously, trying to still her shivering. She was still uncomfortably cold in spite of the nice winter jacket and long pants she had thrown on for this mission. She turned to her comrade-in-arms of the moment, her friend Red Star, who frustratingly seemed entirely blasé and unaffected by the cold.

"So remind me again…" she piped up, managing at least to keep her teeth from chattering as she spoke. " _Why_ is this guy so important that we're out here in the biting snow freezing our buns off?" she grumbled.

Red Star glanced at her and then replied, "I believe comrade Robin mentioned something about weapons smuggling." He shrugged. "I know not much else beyond that."

Bushido's voice spoke from their communicators then. (Red Star's was out and in his hand but Pantha had stowed hers away so the Titan's words were somewhat muffed. She reached into her pocket and switched it off, listening to Red Star's communicator instead.)

"Our teammates on the West Coast had been following a lead about an underground arms dealer and inventor they believed may have been selling to perpetrators in Jump City," the swordsman explained. "Several of the usual small-timers had been displaying firepower and weaponry they did not usually carry. The Titans traced the shipments to this location, owned by a Dr. Langdon Steel."

Pantha sent a skeptical look towards the cabin. "You gotta be kidding. That dinky little place is packing serious _armamentos_?" she asked.

The communicator buzzed with Kilowatt's reedy voice. "Don't be fooled, there's a _lot_ of energy leaking out from under that cabin, way too much for one person and a two-room vacation lodge. Whatever else is down there, I can definitely sense some kind of big electrical source just under the ground."

" _Tadashii_. Cyborg also picked up the unusual energy signature," Bushido went on. "As Robin-san explained it, he and the others made a preliminary scan of the surrounding area and gathered enough evidence to warrant a search. They confirmed their suspicions about this place being the source of the new weapons; however, the doctor was not present for them to apprehend him."

The other Titans listened with rapt attention, nodding occasionally. In the rush to assemble there had been some confusion as to the precise nature of their mission, so this briefing was filling in the blanks nicely.

"The Titans waited as long as they could, but unfortunately pressing matters involving the very dangerous criminal Slade demanded their attentions back in Jump," Bushido finished. "We were called up instead."

"Lucky us.," Pantha quipped under her breath.

A huff came from over the communicator. "My brother and I are well capable of handling this matter on our own," Lightning whined. "Why must all of us capture this man?"

Pantha heard the elder elemental's voice chime in, lower and softer than his sibling's.

"Perhaps the Robin boy merely does not wish us to underestimate our opponent," Thunder suggested helpfully.

A restless grumble came from Lightning. "This is a waste of our talents anyway," he muttered.

" _Peace,_ brother."

Pantha shivered again and stamped her feet. She peered around the large drift she and Red Star had secluded themselves behind, seeking a glimpse of the other Titans' locations. Across the yard, directly opposite them, she could just make out Bushido's topknot and a smudge of blue that passed for Kilowatt's face. The two crouched close to one of the cabin's far windows. Looking to her left, about twenty, twenty-five feet away, she could see the restless Lightning and ever-calm Thunder perched on a small cloud that floated about a foot or so off the ground. The younger demi-god had his arms crossed grouchily, sulking. Pantha almost chuckled at the Titan's childish posture. An icy breeze bit down her neck though and she withdrew behind the drift immediately, yelping at the sudden chill.

"Anyone know how long we gonna be up here for?" she asked, shuddering, directing her voice towards the communicator and its still-open channel. "Cuz I dunno about anyone else but it's only been thirty minutes and I already feel like my nose is gonna fall off."

Red Star shifted towards her. "If you are cold, Pantha, I believe there is a heater packed into our backpack."

She blinked. "Really?"

The Russian nodded, reaching for the sack in question. "It is Cyborg's design, I think. It runs on a high-voltage battery similar to what powers himself. Very useful for the outdoors," he explained absently, rummaging through the backpack. "Ah!" he exclaimed, his hand finding something. "Here it is!" he announced as he pulled it out.

Pantha gave a much-relieved exhale, mood perking up. " _Gracias a dios_ _por Cyborg,_ " she breathed. Rubbing her hands together and blowing on them, she urged, "Whadda ya waiting for? Turn it on!"

Bushido's voice came hesitantly over the communicator. "I'm… not sure that's a good idea Pantha-chan," the swordsman said. "What if our target spots the light?"

"That is a good question…" Red Star agreed, setting the heater down. His fingers hovered over the switch uncertainly.

Pantha fixed her narrowed eyes on the Russian and said bluntly, "Light schmight. I'm freezing. Fire it up." and that was all it took. Red Star shrugged and reached for the switch.

"I still do not think—" Bushido started.

Thunder interrupted with a quick reassurance. "My brother and I will be able to sense the doctor's approach from far off, long before he can get close enough to mark our presence. We will give you fair warning."

"But—"

Pantha picked up Red Star's communicator and spoke into it with a grin. "You'll thank me later, trust me."

Bushido sighed on the other end but acquiesced.

The heater lit up with a low red glow and started to warm the air around it.

-TT-

Pantha was feeling much better. She was crouched Indian-style next to the heater, holding her mittened hands above it as though it were a roaring fire. Her pants were a bit cold and wet from sitting on the snow-covered ground, especially since a wide circle around the heater was now melting, but the rest of her was very comfortable.

The other Titans hung close in a small huddle around the glowing device. Five or ten minutes after Red Star had turned on the heater, they had eventually wandered over.

They were quiet. Their cold fidgets were the only sound. Pantha had lost track of time some while ago. From the angle of the light she guessed it was maybe mid-afternoon. It was kind of hard to tell with the overcast sky. She looked around the huddle. Bushido and Kilowatt were bundled up similarly to her, but Thunder and Lightning didn't seem to mind the temperature at all, as they remained in their regular clothes without even a scarf or pair of earmuffs to speak of. It made Pantha shiver just looking at them. Red Star was sitting closest to her, monitoring the heater and making a check-through on the backpack, in case there was anything else useful in there. So far he'd founds several flashlights, a first aid kit, a few protein bars, basic survival stuff really. Though there was one device she strongly suspected was actually a PSP. Beast Boy's contribution no doubt.

"I'm bored," she announced, breaking the silence.

Lightning straightened up, nodding. "I agree with the Cat, this waiting around quietly is most unamusing."

Pantha slanted her gaze towards him. "Hey Spark Boy, I got a _name_ you know," she drolled. "Wouldn't kill you to call me by it."

Lightning stared at her with a blank expression for a moment, and then continued as if she'd never spoken. "Anyway, the man is not here. He is not anywhere _near_ here." The Titan spread his arms, indicating the empty fields surrounding them. He sat down heavily on his haunches. "I am growing restless," he mumbled.

"Indeed," Thunder agreed.

"How long are we to be out here anyway?" Red Star wondered aloud.

Bushido shook his head. "Not clear," he confessed. "Robin did say they were certain the doctor would return today," he added helpfully, sending the others an encouraging smile.

Kilowatt glanced at the sky. "'Today' still has several hours left in it," he pointed out.

"What do you suggest we do to pass the time then?" Bushido asked, adjusting his sword in its hilt.

Lightning's expression perked and he leaped up enthusiastically. "We should set something on fire!" he exclaimed, his hands already glowing up.

" _No,"_ the other Titans said in unison, taking one cursory look at him.

The demi-god huffed, his hands extinguishing with a snap, and sat back down and slouched. "You are all a bunch of spoilsports," he complained.

"There's nothing _to_ set on fire," Pantha told him sternly, rubbing her arms and scooting closer to the heater. "Except the cabin and that would be _sumamente estúpido_."

Lightning peered out the corner of his eye at the cabin, eyeing the evergreens. "What of the trees next to it? Could I not cause those to catch fire?"

"Probably too wet from the snow."

"Blast!"

"If it makes you feel any better I'd be totally for setting something on fire if we had anything to actually burn," Pantha said, shrugging her shoulders.

Suffice to say; her small consolation after being denied the opportunity to set something aflame did not make Lightning feel better.

Thunder put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder comfortingly. Then he declared, "Come brother! Let us make men out of snow!" and pulled the younger elemental to his feet again.

"Men out of snow?" Lightning repeated, befuddled, as the two hopped on a new cloud and zipped off a few paces away, to where the field was clear.

A short, quiet moment passed.

"I'm still bored, by the way," Pantha said.

Red Star held up a small red box he'd dug out from the backpack. "I have some playing cards," he offered.

-TT-

A few minutes later, Bushido and Kilowatt wandered off, leaving Pantha and Red Star alone. The swordsman made wide circles around the cabin, gazing out towards the surrounding country in silent observation. Every so often he would return to the heater to warm up. Kilowatt, in the meantime, parked himself behind the cabin next to the generator, siphoning off the excess energy being produced by whatever technology the doctor had underground. For the most part the Titaness and her Russian friend were left to their own devices. Which suited her just fine. Pantha drew circles, stick figures, and smiley faces in the snow idly with her finger, while she waited on Red Star's next course of action with his cards.

The Russian bit his lip contemplatively. "Hrm…" he hummed, frowning at his hand. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage my dear," he admitted finally, grinning at her.

"Eh, just make the best move you can. I'll try and go easy on you," she teased.

Red Star slipped a card from his hand, considering it for a bit.

Pantha finished writing her name in cursive and leaned back for a moment. She looked over towards where the brothers were making snowmen.

…Lightning seemed to be remarkably enthusiastic about the process. He and Thunder had already made seven of the things and even now the junior elemental was busy rolling the bottom spheres of at least two more, all with this incredibly gleeful wide smile stretching his face. (In fact if one looked closely he could see an ignited, almost maniacal light in the Titan's eyes but of course Pantha was too far away to discern that particular fact.)

"Wow, they're really getting into it," she commented.

Red Star glanced over briefly, then shifted his attention back to his card as he put it into play, setting it down between them. "I _suspect_ …" he chuckled, "…this is their first encounter with snow."

"Mine too, ironically enough," Pantha told him. Then she amended, "No, wait, I take that back. I did see some snow in Steel City when Beast Boy set up the trap for Cinderblock."

Red Star straightened in perceptible interest. "I have not yet heard the story of how you infiltrated the Brotherhood of Evil's fortress that day. Would you mind telling it?" he requested.

She shrugged. "Not much to tell really. We came, we fought, we kicked ass." She stopped doodling in the snow and looked up at him. "Pretty standard Titans stuff."

"I still think it would be interesting to hear," Red Star insisted earnestly.

"Maybe later, when we're done with this," she said, sweeping an arm towards the cabin. "It's a tale better suited to a heated interior."

"Very well," Red Star acquiesced, shifting his cards to his other hand. "But I intend to hold you to that promise. It is your move by the way."

Pantha blinked down at their game. "Huh. So it is."

"And I did not think it was _that_ cold," Red Star muttered under his breath.

"That's 'cause you live in _Siberia,_ Leonid," she replied. She glanced at her hand, deciding which card to play, as she remarked, "This kind of weather is small change where you come from." She squinted at her cards, realizing she was missing one. "Dangit I lost a card somewhere."

As she cast about in search of the pesky missing card, Bushido made his usual stop by the heater. Kilowatt was with him this time, refreshed and having finished recharging himself. The electric blue Titan parked himself by the heater next to Red Star.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Red Star reached over and sifted through the articles from the backpack. He pulled back the edge of a thermal blanket, under which the atomic clock was hiding.

"Three twenty-five," he announced.

"Still a long ways to go then," Kilowatt sighed. "I guess we'll just have to be patient."

"That would seem to be the most prudent course of action," Red Star concurred.

Bushido, meanwhile, was standing to the side, staring off towards Thunder and Lightning and their snow creations. The swordsman's dark brows were lowered, his expression perplexed and slightly taken aback. "Are they building an _army?_ " he wondered.

"Beats me. Maybe they just really like snowmen," Pantha said, still searching the ground and surrounding snow for her missing card. "Blast it! Where is that stupid card?" she cried.

Kilowatt leaned over, picking out something sticking in one of the smaller drifts. "Here it is." He held it out to her.

"Oh." Pantha took it, relaxing.

The mottled Titan studied the set-up of the cards, his blank white eyes curious. "Mind if I join in the game?" he inquired.

"Of course not," said Red Star, moving to gather up the deck and reshuffle them for three.

Pantha called over to Bushido. "How about you, Karate Kid? You want in too?"

Bushido's steely eyes flicked over to her. "I prefer to keep a watch," he said, stone-faced, expression disinterested.

She shrugged. "Suit yourself."

-TT-

The small contingent of Honorary Titans passed the time in relative quiet. Pantha made idle small talk with Red Star and Kilowatt as the three of them played several rounds of Go Fish. Bushido stood as sentry a little ways away, still gazing out across the snow-covered fields, calm but ever-attentive.

Thunder and Lightning, in the meantime, had finished building snowmen. Twenty-five or so now littered the field. They might have built more, had not Thunder recognized the impatient look in his brother's eyes and calmly stepped aside to let him have the first whack.

Lightning stepped up with an intense, almost crazed light in his features and lit up his hands, a toothy grin stretching his face.

Over by the heater, the other Titans were unaware of the two's doings until a loud sound like a huge electric discharge and what could only be described as an explosion invaded their quiet card game.

_Zap!_

_BOOM!_

"GAH!" Pantha shrieked, jumping, dropping her cards, and clutching hold of Red Star instinctively. "What was that?" she exclaimed.

Nonplussed, Red Star craned his neck around Pantha's arms and their shelter drift, past where Kilowatt had leapt to his feet and charged his own powers and Bushido had drawn his sword.

"I believe I know why Thunder and Lightning were so enthusiastic about building snowmen," he remarked simply.

"Yeah? Why?"

"They are using them for target practice," he said, indicating the duo with a vague gesture of his hand.

Indeed, Thunder and Lightning were now taking turns blasting their snow-creations to smithereens. The other Titans relaxed, Kilowatt dispelling the energy from his hands and Bushido sheathing his sword. The young Japanese Titan was still annoyed, however, and stalked off towards the two to give them a stern lecture. Pantha and Kilowatt watched him and then the latter plopped back down in his seat.

After an awkward moment, Red Star spoke up.

"…You may stop clinging to me now Pantha."

She balked, eyes widening and face taking on a slight tint of red. "Heh. Right," she squeaked sheepishly, peeling herself off him. She scooted back to her own place, laughing nervously.

-TT-

Lightning had his hand raised, another spark ball ready to decimate a hapless snowman, when someone cleared their throat behind him. He looked back over his shoulder to see Bushido with his arms crossed, frowning at him. Looking very Robin-like as a matter of fact.

"What are you doing?" the swordsman asked.

"Merely… making our own amusement?" Lightning offered uncertainly.

"Building snowmen is one thing, but what you are doing will cause entirely too much noise," Bushido told him dryly. "Supposing the doctor hears?"

Thunder piped up in defense. "I have told you, we will be able to sense—"

"I don't want to take the risk," Bushido interrupted. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I don't think we _should_ take the risk I mean. Robin-san will be very displeased with us if we let our target escape."

"That is true…" Thunder mused.

Lightning dropped his arm and the spark ball popped pitifully out of existence. "But then how are we to pass these tedious hours?" he demanded huffily.

"Any way you see fit, as long as it's quiet," Bushido warned, turning to go.

He'd only taken three steps before a snowball smacked him upside the head.

Glaring, he slowly turned back around to see the brothers standing and looking very innocent. Then he smirked and dropped down to his haunches, scooping up a bunch of snow in his hands.

Thunder and Lightning ducked for cover behind their snowmen.

"Wooo! Snowball fight!" Pantha yelled excitedly, coming up to join in.

-TT-

The heated cross-exchange of spherical white balls of snow eventually drew all the Titans in. The score of snowmen originally intended for target practice became convenient sources of shielding—and extra snow for snowballs if they needed it in a hurry. Hard-packed snow flew in rapid flurries. Bodies dodged, ducked, and ran.

All in all, the Titans were actually having fun.

Lightning floated on a cloud a little above the main conflict, pelting people's heads below him. The other flyers of the group occasionally took to the sky too. Pantha complained this was cheating, even as she used her super-strength to lob snowballs at them. No one called attention to the hypocrisy; they were all too busy duking it out.

Of course eventually the fun had to end and the serious business of their mission would command their attentions again. The snowball fight came to a halt when Thunder and Lightning both stiffened and grew distracted.

"Hold, friends," Thunder said, putting up his hand.

The flurry of snowballs petered out, the other Titans looking at the brothers in concern. Lightning was already in the air so it was a simple matter for him to zip up and have a look. He crowed in triumph and returned to the team.

"Our target approaches!" he announced.

"Quickly, clean up the yard," Bushido directed.

The Titans swiftly got to work demolishing the snowmen, packing the supplies back up in the backpack, and generally removing the traces of their indiscretions, then resuming their posts surrounding the cabin. Thunder and Lightning zapped themselves up into the low cloud cover, to increase the precipitation and cover their footprints with a fresh layer of snow.

Before long, Red Star and Pantha crouched behind their drift, hidden from view of the road. Pantha's teeth knocked and chattered as she shivered once again.

"Jeez…" she complained. "It was cold enough _before_ they made it snow."

Red Star scooted over to her side, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to him. The girl's expression blanked out, the red tint returning to her face.

"Is that better?" Red Star asked cheerily.

Dazed, Pantha could only reply, "Uh… yeah. Yeah. That's… that's really nice."

The two fell quiet as off in the distance the low rumbling of a car engine drifted in.

-TT-

Dr. Steel was cranky and irritated. One of the most promising deals he'd ever made had fallen through the cracks, the snow was messing up the paint job on his car, and to top it all off his wrist monitor had beeped that morning, telling him there'd been a security breach at his lodge. He'd piped the footage from his one measly security camera to his portable laptop and groaned aloud when he'd caught sight of the Titans wandering around in his facility. Damn kids. Shouldn't they be attending high school instead of tracking illegal weapons shipments to their sources?

Fortunately the meddling adolescents had gone home. Something about a robot army stealing a high tech super canon or some crazy deal like that. _Not_ one of his designs, sad to say.

Still, it was gonna be a _pain_ to pack up and move everything just when he'd finally paid off the nice little place.

The doctor pulled up in front of the cabin and shut off the engine. Grumbling under his breath, he slid the key out of the ignition, grabbed his briefcase, and opened the door to the chill and snow. Shuffling along, his eyes on his nice dress shoes, he was about five feet away from his door when a very unexpected voice greeted him.

" _Konnichiwa."_

"Daugh!" he cried, stumbling back and discovering the young Asian man that was standing right in front of him, blocking his way.

Bushido didn't react to his shout at all, smiling very pleasantly at him.

"Doctor Landgon Steel, I presume?" he said.

Dr. Steel backed away nervously. He turned to look over his shoulder, wondering if he could make a break for his car. Of course when he did _that_ he discovered the strange oddly dressed teenager wasn't alone.

"Gah!" he shrieked, jumping again.

Pantha leaned casually with her hand on the hood of the car. "Going somewhere _amigo?_ " she teased.

Dr. Steel whipped his head back and forth between Bushido in front of his door and the other five clustered between him and his car. "W-who… who the heck are you guys?" the doctor stammered.

"A better question…" came Kilowatt's voice, somewhat muffled for he was digging around in the trunk. "…would be how you came into possession of this KH-1 laser rifle," he finished, standing back up and producing the rifle in question.

The poor man felt extremely hot and sweaty despite the frigid temperature and snow and he tugged on his suddenly tight collar. "Er… well… you see… It's not mine?" he suggested lamely.

Bushido took a step forward. "Doctor Steel, I regret to inform you that you are under arrest."

The doctor snapped open his briefcase and pulled out the only weapon he had on him—a dinky little energy pistol he carried in case of emergency.

In a blink Bushido's katana was out, Pantha had taken a stance, and all the blasters had charged up their hands and stood ready to demolish him. Thunder and Lightning hovered on a cloud together with matching expressions of glee and all the rest looked at him with cool unyielding determination.

Well he was officially screwed.

He laughed nervously, his voice a faint squeak. "Heh. Y-you aren't the Titans I saw in my security camera footage…"

"Nope!" Pantha confirmed cheerfully. "Titans West is busy kicking butt back in Jump." She smacked her palm with her fist. "You got the D-list and you're gonna be happy about it."

The doctor gulped.

-TT-

One short, _very_ curb-stomping battle later, the felon was in handcuffs, his car was a smoking black heap of wreckage ("My _car!"_ the man kept weeping, while Lightning just cackled, proud of himself), and the Titans were inside the cabin calling the local authorities to come pick him up.

Pantha had her feet propped up on the coffee table as she regaled Red Star with the tales of her exploits.

"I tell ya, that little green kid has guts. Smarter that he looks too, don't think I coulda come up with the plan he did," she was saying.

Red Star nodded while, from the kitchen, Lightning gave an excited shout.

"I have located a stash of chocolate fudge ice cream!" he announced animatedly, emerging from rummaging in the refrigerator.

Thunder pumped his fist. "Let us feast upon this most delectable of mortal foods in celebration of our victory my brother!"

"I was _saving that!"_ the doctor whined from the corner he was sitting in. Despite his protest the brothers had soon broken into the package and divvied the spoils up amongst several bowls.

Pantha leaned her elbow on the armrest with a lazy smile. "Snowball fights, blown-up cars, and chocolate fudge ice cream. We should get called up for stake-outs more often," she commented.

"Agreed," Red Star said as Kilowatt passed him his bowlful of victory dessert.


	42. Therapy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the most heavily-edited of my chapters, owing to the fact that, ngl, I just... didn't like it. It was so cringey.
> 
> Hopefully I've smoothed out a lot of the awkward with this version.

Robin sat in the waiting room, glancing every so often towards the door. Across the frosted glass in clean black letters read the name of the person who owned the office: Janice Warner, a psychiatrist, recommended to him by Raven, who wouldn't really say much about her other than the fact that she was cheerful and pleasant and somewhat bizarre but good at her job.

The Boy Wonder leaned back in his seat with a tired exhale, remembering the events that had led up to this waiting period. Some time ago Raven had approached him, respectfully of course (but Robin could still hear a slight motherly nagging tone in her voice), with concerns about his sleeping patterns and general mental health. (Which, well… considering Robin were particularly abysmal, though Raven didn't mention that out loud.) The empath had conveyed to him as gently as she could that his "issues" had been coming through their bond more strongly than usual and it was interfering with her own ability to remain mentally stable and maybe he should think about getting professional counseling

Robin had initially balked.

" _Cyborg and Starfire have 'issues' too."_ he'd protested. _"Why do_ ** _I_** _need therapy?"_

" _I don't have a mind bond with Cyborg or Starfire. Their obsessions and neuroses don't constantly leak through my defenses,"_ Raven reminded him. _"And with all due respect Robin…"_ she'd added, _"…you're a wreck."_ A little softer she'd continued, _"I think talking to someone outside the Titans would do you a lot of good..."_

" _I can handle it…"_ he'd mumbled, averting his eyes.

Raven had rubbed her temple wearily. _"At least get a psychiatric evaluation,"_ she'd compromised. _"Please. For the sake of_ ** _my_** _sanity."_

" _I don't know Raven…"_ he'd murmured uncertainly.

Raven had continued to bring up the topic throughout the week, unsubtly pestering him about the problem and encouraging him to see a psychiatrist. That was when she'd suggested Miss Warner to him. (Robin had questioned her on how exactly she knew this person but had received an unhelpful and unspecific, _"I have resources."_ with accompanying shifty eyes on Raven's part.) His resistance gradually wore down but he'd still brushed the empath off and changed the subject whenever she attempted to talk to him about it. It wasn't her concern, he'd justified to himself. He could deal with it on his own. And he was entitled to his privacy. When he'd brought that up to her, the empath had just grimaced, unable to counter him without calling attention to her own hypocrisy.

Raven finally realized she was at an impasse and would never be able to convince him on her own. So she'd decided to enlist some help. (Because she really did need her precious mental stability and Robin was rather annoyingly throwing it all out of balance and blast it all she _did_ care about him and wanted him to take care of himself _for once_.)

She'd confided in Starfire first, and then the two of them confronted Robin together.

That was all it took.

Starfire's concern had been too much; it had crumbled Robin's lingering resistance into dust. He couldn't stand seeing Starfire worried, especially about him, so he'd agreed to the evaluation.

And now here he was.

Robin held himself soberly, lost in thought. Star's anxious expression was still haunting his mind, her fretful touch to his cheek almost felt like it still lingered warm on his skin. He kind of hated shrinks, really, but he _would_ see one to make her happy. He leaned his head back against the wall, looking at the ceiling.

_I'm doing this for Starfire…_ he told himself. _Starfire… and Raven's sanity,_ he added after a moment.

The door clicked open. Robin glanced over to see a tall pretty blonde woman with a friendly smile and a clipboard in her hands.

"Hello dear!" she greeted amiably. "You must be Robin."

Robin rose and shook the lady's outstretched hand. "Hi Miss Warner," he said politely.

"Please, call me Janice." She waved him in towards her office. "Are you ready for your appointment?"

"I guess," Robin mumbled, walking through the door and into the office.

It was comfortably furbished, the desk over in the far left in front of the window, bookshelves lining the walls, lamps and sunlight illuminating the room with a calming yellow glow. Plush chairs and couches faced each other in a loose circle on the right. Janice directed him towards one of these and Robin sat down on the edge of a comfy green one, resting his hands by his thighs.

Janice picked up a rainbow-colored ceramic bowl from a small table by the chair opposite him. "Bonbon?" she offered.

"No thanks."

She set the bowl back down and took her seat, clicking her pen. Robin analyzed her a moment, out of habit. She wore dark slacks and a floral print top with long sleeves that presented a hippie-like air to her, a notion reinforced by the artwork hanging on the walls of her office—flowers and tie dye patterns for the most part. She struck Robin as somewhat spacey and odd but she seemed nice enough so he guessed he couldn't really hate her.

"You seem a little ill at ease," she observed. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't… really like shrinks," he admitted.

"Oh heavens!" she exclaimed. "I'm a psychiatrist dear, not a shrink. That's such an unpleasant term for psychotherapy."

"Sorry. Psychiatrist," he corrected. "I don't really like seeing them," he repeated.

"May I ask why?"

The boy shifted position on the couch uneasily. "They just… give me the feeling of being invaded. Pried open. It's uncomfortable."

Janice smiled as she shuffled through things on her clipboard. "Well, I won't press you for any secrets you're not willing to share," she promised. She pulled a sheet off her clipboard and held it out to him. "First, would you please fill out this short psychiatric questionnaire for me?"

"Um… okay," Robin acknowledged, taking the paper. He looked at the page-long survey, slightly confused. "Is this a usual practice?" he asked.

"Not really. I mean it's usual for me but it's nothing official or anything," Janice rambled. "I compiled it myself. It's just a little something that helps me get an idea of where your issues are." She clicked her pen again and offered it to him. "Here, you can use my pen to fill it out."

Robin was busy scanning the questions, squinting at the tiny print, his confusion and perplextion mounting. They weren't the normal sort of questions he would expect on a psychiatric survey. They didn't seem to be related to anything really, asking inane things like "Preferred hair color on the opposite sex (check one): blonde, brunette, or redhead?" and "How many ceiling tiles are in the living area of your dwelling?" and, mostly bizarrely, "When you're imaging what life would be like as a giant purple elephant, what are your biggest concerns with regards to hygiene?"

Robin tilted his head up at Janice with a weirded-out look.

"Yes?" she inquired pleasantly.

"…Are you _sure_ you're certified?"

-TT-

The Titans glanced up at the _hiss!_ of the door to the common room. Robin had returned. He carried a small box in one hand and a slip of paper in the other. Starfire and Raven glanced significantly at each other and rose to meet him. Beast Boy followed along as well. Cyborg remained where he was, sitting and reading the newspaper, but he kept his ears peeled. The situation and Robin's whereabouts had been explained to both him and Beast Boy while their leader was out.

The two had snickered irreverently about it at first but Starfire swiftly and summarily put a stop to it with an unamused deadpan, "It is not funny." whilst giving the duo her most chillingly calm death glare.

They had coughed and stammered that of course it wasn't funny, it was a very serious business and no laughing matter at all and please kindly do not rip their arms off they would behave they swear.

Starfire was pacified after that.

The door slid shut again behind Robin, who half-turned towards Raven with some unspoken comment about Janice's credentials and methodology in his expression that he refrained from speaking aloud before he turned his attention to Starfire, who still had that familiar anxious concern in her eyes. He touched her arm reassuringly and managed a tired smile. Shifting the slip of paper to his other hand he ran his fingers through his hair, worn out and stressed from the long day. Starfire made as if to reach for him, but thought better of it, and put her hands behind her back quietly, waiting for him to speak.

Beast Boy scuffed the carpet with his shoe, standing nearby awkwardly.

"So… what's the verdict?" he piped up.

Robin sighed.

"I'm neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, and show underlying signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," he said finally.

"I coulda told you _that,_ " Cyborg said under his breath.

Beast Boy merely replied with an inadequate, "Dude…"

"I've never seen a psychiatrist look that nervous in my entire life," Robin told them, shaking his head, remembering back to how Janice's expression had undergone a perceptible change as she glanced over his questionnaire, looking up at him and asking, _"Are you okay sweetie?"_ to which Robin confusedly replied that he was fine. She kept randomly asking the same question throughout the session, though, observably jittery, until Robin finally got fed up.

" _Look lady,"_ he'd said, _"I'm not going to suddenly fly into a psychotic rage or collapse into a sobbing puddle of tears. Could you please stop looking at me like I'm going to snap at any moment?"_

" _Oh! Oh of course, I'm sorry!"_ Janice apologized. _"But you see, I've actually had that happen before so one can never be too careful. Especially when considering the safety of one's favorite fluffy chair_ _—they're so hard to sew the stuffing back into and I've never been able to get the mutated lizard smell out of the fabric."_

That had hit eleven on Robin's Bizarre-o-Meter so he'd fallen into an awkward silence before Janice pried him out with another question about his issues with Slade.

Starfire's voice broke him out of his memory.

"You will be okay though, right?" she plied, troubled, lightly placing her hand on his arm. "The doctor was able to help you?"

"Well…" Robin trailed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "She kinda muttered something about thinking she wasn't qualified to deal with this kind of case… but she _did_ recommend some things and it wasn't so bad talking with her," he admitted, dropping his hand. "Even though she's _really_ weird," he tacked on under his breath.

"I warned you," Raven said, shrugging and crossing her arms.

Beast Boy stepped up a little closer. "What'd she recommend?" he asked.

Robin held up the scrap with Janice's swirly cursive scrawl on it. "Meditation or some other kind of relaxing activity, at least once a week, with Raven or someone else I trust," he summarized before looking up. "Preferably someone who calms me," he finished, glancing meaningfully at Starfire. (He left out the part where Janice had said, "Like that red-haired girl you're hopelessly in love with and agreed to come to this session for." in her uncanny and slightly freakily perceptive way.)

Starfire caught the request in his eyes and nodded slightly, blushing with the thrill of his words about her.

"I would be happy to assist," she murmured.

"I know you would," he replied, softly, tenderly.

They held each other's gaze a long moment.

"What's in the box?" Beast Boy interrupted.

"Huh?" Robin started from his trance. "Oh, um…" He took the box out from under his arm and shook it once, making it rattle slightly. "She also prescribed… chocolate."

Cyborg twisted his head over his shoulder at him. "Say what?" he asked, befuddled.

Beast Boy just blinked. "Seriously?"

Robin gave a shrug. "I said she was weird."

"But good at her job," Raven put in, turning to go to the kitchen and make herself some tea.

"That's debatable. But... thanks Raven. It wasn't as bad as I thought," Robin said. He crossed his arms. "Seriously though, where _did_ you find her?"

Her violet eyes stared coolly at him from across the way.

"Google," she said simply.

Then she turned her back without further comment.


	43. Mechanically Inclined

"So then the green bean just up and _charges_ Overload in rhino form like some crazy kamikaze on steroids. The next thing I know—hand me that wrench would you?"

Starfire dutifully handed Cyborg the tool.

"Thanks. Next thing I know there's a ten foot tall electric monster flying through the air straight towards me. And while I appreciated the nice clear shot I would've liked a little more time to watch my life pass before my eyes."

Starfire giggled.

Cyborg smiled and slid out from underneath the panel he'd been working on. Starfire had volunteered to help him work on the T-ship to fix a few bugs and mechanical glitches that had cropped up during their last space-faring mission. The cybernetic teen usually preferred to do repair work alone with nothing but the nuts and bolts to talk at, but Starfire had seemed a little down and in need of quality time with a friend so he accepted her company. He was glad of it in fact, in hindsight, for it gave him someone to bounce crazy stories off of.

The half-robot leaned down and pried the casing off a different part of the ship. Setting the metal plate aside, he peered down into the inner workings. His hand lifted and he gestured for Starfire to come within range again.

"Screwdriver please."

Starfire held the tools up in front of her face and scrunched her eyes at them. "Which one would that be again?" she asked.

"Narrow cross head," Cyborg reminded her.

"Ah, I see," she said, identifying the correct one now and sliding it out from among its brothers. She placed the tool in Cyborg's outstretched palm.

As he poked around inside the machinery, Cyborg's gaze slid over to Starfire. "So…" he said. "What made you decide you wanted to spend the afternoon picking around inside the T-ship with me and listening to me spout off stories about me and BB's shenanigans?"

The alien princess shrugged. "I was in need of occupation. Raven is busy meditating and I could not convince Robin to take a break from his work-out." Her voice became a little quieter. "And I was feeling a little lonely," she admitted. Expression cheering again she added, "Besides, I find this a most fascinating endeavor."

Cyborg laughed. "Yeah, and you're actually really knowledgeable about this stuff. I think after Robin you're the second most likely person to understand what I'm talking about."

Starfire shifted the tools to one hand and straightened the hem of her skirt. "Though as a member of the royal family such knowledge was superfluous, one of my tutors was very... enthusiastic. I owe most of my familiarity with the mechanics of space travel to him," she explained.

"Well I'm glad for it." Cyborg straightened and picked up the casing again. "I think that outta do it. You wanna check the jump drive and see if everything looks okay?" he offered, standing back with the casing in his hands.

Starfire stepped forward and looked into the hole. She reached a hand in and lightly touched the outer shell of the device that allowed the T-ship faster-than-light capabilities, observing how the inner workings spun idly. She withdrew her hand and backed off again, smiling brightly. "It appears to be appropriately calibrated," she told him.

"Great." Cyborg reattached the casing and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Picking up his hand rag, he wiped his palms and glanced down at his Tamaranian friend. She was distracted, looking at the tools she still held with a far off look.

"Tutors huh?" he commented.

Starfire snapped out of her trance. "Hmm? Oh… yes. All young members of the royal house are required to be well-versed in all manner of subjects. I had one tutor for each class, for the most part, though for some subjects I had two," she said. Her head tilted, remembering an old confusion. "And for a reason I could never quite understand, my lectures on culture, manners, and formality required at least five additional instructors." She gave a small laugh. "I have since theorized that most of them were actually there to… 'baby-sit' Blackfire."

"Wouldn't surprise me in the least," Cyborg chuckled, nodding. He finished wiping his hands. "How come you don't talk about it much?" he asked.

"About what?"

"Being a princess," he clarified, tossing away his rag.

The Tamaranian averted her eyes and set the tools down on the workbench. "It is of no consequence. My home is on Earth now," she said.

"Yeah but…" Cyborg protested. "You're _royalty_. Blue blood. Heck, you were empress for a few minutes. I dunno, I just think it's pretty cool."

She giggled again. "I thank you for that. It is most pleasant to hear that you think I am 'cool' for being a princess," she told him. "I too think you are cool," she said, beaming.

Cyborg gave a small laugh and averted his gaze modestly. He moved over to the worktable and started putting the tools and spare parts away. Starfire floated over to help, picking up a wrench and flipping open the toolbox it belonged in. As they worked, Cyborg piped up again.

"So, I've talked your ear off about some of _my_ adventures," he said, "how 'bout you tell me some o' yours?"

"Certainly!" she chirped. "What would you like to know?"

The half-robot finished packing up his toolbox and closed it up. "Oh, late night patrol mishaps, misadventures at the mall, stories about your childhood growing up on Tamaran,"—Here he wiggled an eyebrow at her.—"the things you and Robin get up to whenever you split from the rest of us."

She blushed slightly, turning her head to hide the redness in her cheeks. Regaining her composure, she cleared her throat and said, "I flew my first ship when I was eight years old."

"Really?" Cyborg exclaimed, impressed.

Starfire pressed her index fingers together. "Well… it was… sort of an accident," she confessed.

Cyborg's human brow rose at her. He listened attentively as she continued.

"Blackfire wanted to see the inside of one of the fighters. She persuaded me to join her in her quest. I distracted the sentry while she entered the fighter. However, something… happened." Starfire paused her story a moment and grimaced. "And Blackfire accidentally triggered the ignition."

"Oops."

-TT-

" _Koma!" Koriand'r shrieked as the fighter with her sister in it streaked out of the bay, hitting several of the other ships on its way out. The sentry jumped up, startled, exclaiming in Tamaranian. Koriand'r ran to the doorway and looked out at the retreating craft in horror. She took to the air and streaked after the wayward fighter, the wind whipping back her hair._

_Reaching the ship, she grabbed hold of the edge of the fighter's still-open door (which Komand'r had used to slip in undetected not more than a minute earlier) and swung herself inside. Breathless, she made her way to the cockpit, where Komand'r was slamming buttons desperately, trying to halt the flight._

" _Sister! You must stop this craft or it will crash!" Koriand'r called._

" _I don't know how to_ ** _drive_** _it!" her sister protested. "I was just fooling around!"_

_Koriand'r pulled herself into the cockpit against the heavy acceleration pressing her back. "You should have paid more attention to Rhys'ik during class!" she wailed._

_Komand'r got huffy and stood up from the pilot's chair. "Well since you were such a dedicated and attentive student why don't_ **_you_ ** _try flying this thing?" she said haughtily._

_The younger girl's small shaky hands grasped the joystick as she slid into the pilot's seat. Using all her strength she angled the control to the left and the fighter began to turn. Koriand'r kept the ship turning until they were facing back towards the hanger bay. Her knuckles turned white as her child's grip tried valiantly to keep the control still and the fighter steady. The vessel made a jagged course down towards the bay, swerving chaotically in the hands of its inexperienced pilot. Komand'r meanwhile, was studying the buttons and levers on the panel intently, and as the fighter cleared the hanger bay doors she located the off switch for the ignition and hastily grabbed it and pulled it down._

_The engines cut out with a whine but the craft's forward momentum still propelled it forward several yards before it dropped to the hanger floor and scraped along the ground. Sparks flew out from the underside and a metallic screech filled the air._

_Koriand'r shrieked and let go of the control, throwing her hands over her eyes._

_The fighter slid about thirty more feet before friction finally slowed it down and it came to an uneasy halt. The younger princess slowly uncovered her eyes and peeked out the window._

" _Is it over? Are we alive?" she squeaked._

" _Unfortunately," Komand'r muttered, watching as a small curious crowd gathered around their downed craft._

-TT-

Cyborg laughed uproariously as Starfire finished her tale.

"Needless to say, our mother and father were most displeased with our actions," she said. "Rhys'ik was rather thrilled, however."

"I'll bet!" Cyborg said. He reached over and mussed Starfire's hair. "Who woulda thought your piloting skills'd develop so early?"

Starfire grinned and patted her hair back into place. She pointed at the T-ship.

"Should we not test it to see if our work was successful?" she inquired.

The half-robot rubbed his palms together.

"Sounds like a good idea."

-TT-

The engines gave a low whine as they warmed up, making the glass of his cockpit shake a little. Cyborg clipped his seatbelt and finished typing in the authorization code to open the hanger doors. He called out the pre-flight checklist to Starfire over his headset as he prepped the ship.

"Thrusters?"

"Check."

"Cabin pressure?"

"Check."

The blue sky started to appear above them as the hanger doors slid open. Cyborg adjusted the settings on one of the panels. "Okay, looks like we're good to go," he announced. As they waited for the doors to finish opening, he turned up the mike on his headset a notch and asked, "Any plans for the afternoon?"

"Robin has promised to take me to the mall of shopping," Starfire told him, her voice perking up a few notches in pitch. Cyborg could hear the glee in her voice and cracked a private smile.

"You two still getting along well?" he teased.

"Hmm? Oh yes!"

Cyborg cupped a hand over his mike and whispered into it conspiratorially. "Because you know… if you ever need anyone to take him up to the roof and have a little _talk_ with him…"

In the other cockpit, Starfire blinked, a blank expression on her face.

"I do not think I know what you are insinuating," she said.

"Never mind. Just lemme know if he ever upsets you in any way and I'll set him straight," he promised. He pulled the lever to gun the engines. "All right, thrusters at maximum, let's see how she flies!"

Jets of fire streamed out of the turbines as the T-ship was propelled off its hooks and into the midday sky. Starfire squealed excitedly while Cyborg piloted their vessel above the cityscape, turning and swooping to test their mobility and make sure the bugs were gone. The half-robot noted with satisfaction that the weird shuddering when making right turns had stopped. After a few minutes he offered control to Starfire, who gleefully grabbed hold of the wheel in her cockpit and took the T-ship for a few more dives and climbs. Cyborg sat back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, while Starfire flew.

She handled the craft remarkably well. Not that he'd really expected anything different. One thing Cyborg had learned about his alien teammate over the years was that you should never underestimate her. She was resourceful, adept… He was constantly impressed by her intelligence and skills.

In fact she would've fit right in with his former civilian family of bright minds and scientists.

He turned his thoughts to something else so he wouldn't dwell on that memory.

After letting Starfire play with the T-ship a bit longer, he switched control back to his pod and said, "Okay Star, I think that's enough. Let's head home."

Starfire nodded and let him pilot the ship back to the Tower. "I thank you," she said, "for allowing me to assist you in repair work and for keeping me company."

He smiled broadly. "Anything for my favorite little sister."

He brought the ship down towards their home as Starfire's puzzled voice replied, "But… I am not of any familial relation to you."


	44. Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per her appearance in the tie-in TTG! comics, Rose appeared to be about the same general age as the rest of the Titans, so I just decided to roll with the angsty implications of her being Jericho's older half-sister.

Cyborg and Beast Boy sent uneasy glances towards the girl following along behind Robin and Starfire. Her platinum blonde hair fell around her shoulders in damp wisps, still drying out from the rain shower they'd just been in. Her body armor, armor that too disturbingly resembled Slade's for their comfort, glistened with small droplets of water. Kid Flash and Jinx brought up the rear, the sorceress attempting to make light conversation with their new visitor. She replied with short, quiet answers, looking around the hallways of the Tower in silent wonder.

"Seriously," Beast Boy whispered to the half-robot, "are we _sure_ about letting her into the Tower to see all our stuff?"

"If she was going to turn around and attack us again she could've done so already," Raven's voice piped up from in front of them.

They jumped, startled, and sent guilty looks ahead towards the empath.

"Well… yeah, okay," Beast Boy admitted. "I guess she could've."

"But that's just the thing," Cyborg spoke up. "How do we know she's not playing it cool, biding her time and waiting until we've shown her everything she needs to know to catch us off guard? We haven't exactly had the best of experiences when it comes to mysterious girls and their evil fathers," he pointed out. A beat and then he added quickly, "No offense Raven."

"None taken." She straightened her cloak, shaking out some of the water. "Under most circumstances I'd be inclined to agree with you, actually." Her violet eyes glanced back at the trailing Titans and their female visitor, who was hovering close by Robin, Jinx, and Starfire.

Raven tilted her head towards the small cluster.

"Robin seems to be okay with her," she said. "And you know how paranoid _he_ is when it comes to anything remotely related to Slade."

"Good point," Cyborg admitted.

Beast Boy glanced back again uncertainly. "I dunno…" he said in a quiet, abnormally serious voice. "We've been wrong about trusting people before. How do we know she won't be like—" He broke off awkwardly, his eyes turning towards the floor.

Raven finished the thought he wasn't able to say. "How do we know she's not like Terra you mean." She kept her voice and tone as gentle as possible but Beast Boy still flinched at the name and the uncomfortable memories it dredged up. Raven bit her lip and put her hand on the changeling's shoulder. "Sorry," she said.

"S'okay," he mumbled.

The empath looked briefly back at the other Titans again before steering Beast Boy, Cyborg, and herself off to the side of the hall for more privacy. She let the others pass them by before she spoke again.

"We have every right to be suspicious," she told them, "and I wouldn't let our guard down just yet. But for what it's worth, she's a lot easier to read than Terra was."

Cyborg sent a fleeting glance at their visitor's receding back. "And what are you reading?"

"Mostly a lot of confusion right now." Raven crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall, observing the target of her empathic powers from a distance. The small group had paused and Starfire was enthusiastically pointing something in one of the rooms out to their guest. The silver-haired girl nodded politely at everything, saying nothing, but smiling occasionally. "Also slight apprehension, some shyness and uncertainty," Raven went on. "If I had to venture a guess I'd say she's a very driven, single-minded girl whose purpose in life is suddenly unclear to her. She's been conditioned a lot, desensitized, and has probably been suppressing her own thoughts and feelings for a while, in favor of pleasing whoever it was that's been training and raising her all this time." Raven's eyes flicked back to her friends. "Underneath it all, though, I can sense a little of her own blunt and strong-willed personality starting to filter up."

Throughout the whole speech, Beast Boy's eyes had continued to watch the strange girl nervously, as though any second she would pull a Raven and sprout flailing tentacles of darkness. After a moment the girl seemed to grow aware of his gawking and shifted uncomfortably a few times. Finally she couldn't concentrate on Starfire's excited expositing anymore and whipped her head in the changeling's direction.

"Hey Lima Bean, if you keep staring at me like that I'll break your nose," she warned. "Nothing personal."

"Sorry!" Beast Boy squeaked, immediately turning his head.

Raven gave a satisfied smirk. "And _that_ ," she said, "would be her blunt and strong-willed personality."

"You're good Rae," Cyborg complimented, patting her shoulder. "You're real good."

-TT-

The door hissed and Rose trailed after Robin into the dimly lit archives room. Robin hit the switch on his way in, filling the space with calm florescent light. Rose blinked a little, her eyes adjusting, and then whistled at all the file cabinets lining the walls.

"Wow… that's a lot of paperwork," she quipped, cracking a smile.

Robin seemed to know his way around though, and made a straight beeline for a cabinet on the far side of the room, pulling out one of the drawers. Rose wandered to the center, where the table was, and stood by it unsurely.

"When was your last contact with your father?" Robin called back, flipping through the files methodically.

"Eush. _Years_ ago," Rose told him, making a face.

"And he hasn't contacted you since?"

She shook her head. "Not since I was eleven. And _that_ was a prerecorded list of instructions for my training and upbringing he'd left behind."

Robin found the file he was looking for, a thick manila envelope almost like a tome, and pulled it out of the drawer. He brought the file over to Rose and the table. The Titan paused a moment, holding the file awkwardly in his hands.

"Do you ever remember seeing his face? Without the mask, I mean?" he asked her anxiously, sitting down in a chair and setting the file on the table.

Rose racked her brain for a memory and her face twisted apologetically when she came up mostly empty save for a single fuzzy recollection. "Um… _maybe_ …" she told him, pulling out one of the chairs and sliding into it. "I think I might have been six at the time." She tapped her finger on the table. "I remember he was really tall and had this smooth monotone voice."

"Anything else?" Robin pressed.

The girl scoured her head for more details, but found them slow-coming. The effort made her brain ache and eventually she shook her head vigorously, clearing it and confirming nothing else.

Robin gave a disappointed exhale. "That's okay," he assured her, even though his tone said otherwise. "Here." He slid the file across the table to her. "If you could look through this and give me any clues or missing details you might have on Slade's identity or whereabouts at certain points in time, maybe some of his pre-Jump activities, that would be really appreciated."

"Sure thing Wonder Boy."

He stood up from the table, a distracted look in his eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I have to… look into some things," he said, using a common excuse that meant he was going to lock himself in the evidence room for a while.

"I dunno how much info I can dish," Rose said, watching him move to the door to depart. "I told you, he didn't really come around much."

The Boy Wonder stopped in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder, expression unreadable, save for the slow-burning determination in his eyes.

"Every little bit helps," he told her seriously.

The girl shrugged and turned back to the table, starting to sift through the papers in her father's file. Robin passed into the hall, where Kid Flash was hovering, a curious expression on his face. The two boys locked eyes and Robin jerked his head towards the archive room in a silent order.

_Watch her._

Kid Flash grinned and saluted. Robin nodded curtly and headed off to the evidence room.

-TT-

In the hour she spent pouring over dates and incidents of crime Rose's eyes started to blur. She'd scribbled down two or three notes on a bit of scrap paper that might be helpful, or might not, but nothing so far had jogged her memory with any real significance.

She had, however, become quite well acquainted with the evil deeds of her father. (When she'd gotten to the section about his failed apprenticeships, she'd felt a twinge of jealousy at first, wishing the man had spent half as much dedication grooming her, though as she read on she quickly decided she didn't really want _that_ kind of dedication at all.)

After a while though, she began to get bored. Slouching and leaning on her elbow, she finally pushed the file aside. Her eyes drifted around the room. She got up and wandered over to the other cabinets and scanned the labels with a disinterested gaze.

_Tower schematics… bills… crime reports…_

Her eyes lit.

_Oooh hey! Personnel files!_

Eagerly she stepped up to the cabinet and opened up the top drawer. She grabbed a whole stack of dossiers and brought them over to the table. Sitting back down she made herself acquainted with some nicer individuals than the one she'd been reading about the past hour.

She was impressed. The Titans network included such a wide variety of backgrounds and powers. So many different kids her age…

Her eyes suddenly caught a word that startled her and stole her full attention.

_Hold up a sec… Wilson's_ **_my_ ** _last name._

She skimmed back to the top of the page. After reading a bit she sat up a little straighter and shifted closer on her seat to the table.

Now this was interesting…

The header at the top of the Honorary Titan's info sheet read:

**Name: Joseph Wilson**

**Alias: Jericho**

Rose touched the picture clipped to the info sheet, running her fingers over the features of the boy in it. Recognition clicked in her brain. She could identify bits and pieces of her own facial structure in the boy's face. Same chin, same forehead ridge, the nose was a bit different and the eyes were definitely from a different mother than hers but the ears were identical to the ones she saw in the mirror every day. She could see a definite, if subtle, resemblance.

This was… uncanny.

She slid the papers out of the boy's file and held them up to the light. After reading for a bit she stood up again, walked to the doorway, and poked her head out around the frame.

"Hey uh…" she started to call, then stopped as she realized in all the commotion she'd never actually caught the name of the red and yellow speedster kid she'd attacked. "…you," she eventually finished. "What's your name again?"

Said speedster sent her a friendly smile, apparently feeling no lingering grievances related to their confrontation earlier.

"Flash. Kid Flash," he told her.

"I have a favor to ask."

Kid Flash raised an eyebrow.

Rose held up the file, the photograph at the forefront of everything else.

"Run me down to New Zealand real quickly?"

-TT-

Argent blinked sleepily as she opened the door to reveal some strange silver-haired girl dressed in metal body armor she'd never met standing on the front porch. And a little ways behind her, Kid Flash.

The Titaness looked the girl over, puzzled.

Rose gave a shy smile, wondering if she should have changed first to dispel any associations with her father people might make from her outfit. She'd left her gloves and a few of her armor pieces back in Jump but it probably wasn't enough. (She had _definitely_ nixed the mask—that would've been way too obvious.)

Argent eventually broke the awkward silence.

"Can I… help you?" she asked uncertainly.

Rose considered her words carefully. How was she supposed to go about announcing her intentions exactly? It wasn't like 'Hi I'm the daughter of your leader's greatest arch-enemy and I think I have family here' was going to get her invited in for tea.

She decided not to waste sentiments and just go for the straight-forward, direct approach.

"I'm here to see my brother," she said.

Argent stared.

"Brother?" she repeated, confused.

"Cute kid, short, curly blonde hair?" Rose prompted.

"Oh," Argent said. Her hand drifted up and rested on the doorframe. "Well… I don't think Jericho's up yet," she told the other girl hesitantly.

"That's okay. I can wait." After a beat and another uncomfortable silence, Rose stepped a little closer. "So can I come in or what?"

Argent's eyes flicked over to Kid Flash, questioning.

He waved a reassurance. "It's cool Argent. I can vouch for her," he said.

The New Zealander shrugged to herself and stepped aside to let Rose come in. The blonde stuck her hand out almost immediately.

"Rose Wilson. Nice to meet you," she greeted.

Argent returned the gesture with mild trepidation. "Uh… Argent." She let go of the other girl's hand and gestured off down the hallway. "This way."

The Titaness led them up to the common room. Argent keyed in the access code to the lift when they reached it, and the trio rose swiftly to the top floor of the Tower. Rose didn't say anything, too busy trying to plan what she was going to tell the boy she suspected was her half-brother when she saw him.

As it was, said half-brother was practically waiting for her when they got there. The door slid open, Rose filed in after Argent, and there he was, getting up from the couch right then to leave and fetch his guitar. He stopped in his tracks when he saw them, and blinked in mild surprise. Rose could already tell he was making the connection, seeing the same resemblances in feature, identifying the similarity in dress. She stood where she was and let him look her over, feeling it wouldn't do to push him.

At length, he turned and signed to Argent.

_Who's this?_

"Rose Wilson. Says she's your sister or something like that."

Jericho looked back at Rose, hesitant. No denying it, she definitely looked like his father. He could even see a little bit of Grant in her too. The part that threw him was the fact that she wasn't at all confrontational—wasn't standing aggressively, wasn't scowling and demanding he acknowledge her and their mutual parentage.

Wasn't trying to bribe him with offers of unlimited power to join the dark side.

His expression semi-wondering, he signed a hello to her.

She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling to show that she'd understood.

He held her gaze for a long, quiet moment before he addressed the other two Titans in the room.

_A little privacy please? Out._

Argent acknowledged his request and moved to leave but Kid Flash remained stubbornly where he was. His smile was still pleasant but it was clear from his posture that he wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon.

"Sorry, I'm kind of under orders to watch her so—"

"OUT!" Argent shouted, patently shoving the speedster through the door. "It's incredibly rude to pry into things of this nature." Over his protests she added, "Jericho'll holler if he needs anything." before she punched the button to slide the door closed and give the blonde mute and his sibling some room to talk.

The two young teenagers stood in awkward silence for a minute.

Rose stepped forward.

"Hey kid," she said, offering a smile. "I think you and I have something in common..."

-TT-

Argent stood with her ear pressed against the steel of the door, not trying to eavesdrop (the door was too thick for that anyway), just monitoring things inside and making sure her teammate was okay. It was difficult to concentrate on the faint voice of Rose with Kid Flash standing behind her and attempting to raise objections every few seconds.

The speedster lifted an index finger hesitantly.

"Uh—"

She shushed him.

"I don't—"

"Shh!"

"But—"

"Shush! I can't focus with you making such a racket."

Kid Flash waited ten whole seconds and then squinted up his face and uttered in a low, quick stream, "I really don't think it's a good idea to leave them alone in there unsupervised."

Argent pulled away from the door and faced him. "Like I said, Jericho'll holler if he needs us."

" _How?"_ Kid Flash asked skeptically.

She crossed her arms and gave him a cool gaze. "He has very effective methods of making himself heard if he needs to, believe me."

"Yeah, well Robin has very effective methods of finding things out," he countered. "If I slack off on this he'll know." He stole a glance behind her at the door. He could probably phase through it before she realized what was happening, of course, he'd have to move her out of the way first, she was kind of blocking his path.

Argent eyed him as if she knew what he was thinking and didn't move from her post in front of the door. "Have you got any siblings Flash?" she queried.

"I don't see what that has to do—"

"Just answer the question you nit."

He sighed. "No I don't have any siblings."

"Any awkward family relations that make your life ten times more complicated than it needs to be?"

Kid Flash shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Uh… well…" he stammered.

"Would you like it if someone was standing around hovering like a vulture while you were trying to have a private and confidential conversation with that person?"

"No, but—"

She leaned forward a little, smirking in victory. "Then you should extend Jericho the same courtesy."

Kid Flash blew out a long breath of surrender. "Can I at least peek in through the crack to see what they're doing?"

"No."

"Come on Argent! Be reasonable!" he protested.

"I _am_ being reasonable," she insisted. She moved aside to allow him access to the panel. "I didn't soundproof the door."

-TT-

"So, you're saying that after the Trigon takeover… he just up and disappeared?"

Jericho grimaced. _Not exactly. There was one isolated incident in Jump City involving one of the Titans West. And…_ The boy lowered his eyes somberly. _He came here to see me once._

Rose felt another pang of jealousy. Slade had time to harass Titans and cross the Pacific Ocean to visit his son but he couldn't spare a single minute to check up on his daughter? Give her a call? See how she'd been doing all these years? Maybe actually explain to her just what kind of legacy she'd been training for so long to take up?

More and more, the grand image she'd always had of her father was being shaken apart and chipped away.

She crossed her legs and sat down on the floor, feeling the weight of dejection. Jericho followed suit a moment later, concern in his eyes.

"I can't believe it. I get sent halfway across the globe to take up the mantle of a man who isn't even showing his face anymore," she explained.

_I'm sorry._

"All that preparation and effort gone _pfft_ right out the window," she went on. "And you know the worst part is that I don't even know if he even _wanted_ me to fulfill his legacy and finish his mission to destroy the Titans anymore." She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. _Did he even know I was trying to?_ she wondered soberly. _Or was that all Mom telling me lies to get me to train harder?_

Jericho didn't reply, but scooted a little closer and put his hand on her shoulder.

Rose looked up at her brother and gave a bitter smile. "I guess you can't really relate huh?"

Jericho withdrew his hand and signed, _No no, I understand completely. You feel abandoned and like you don't measure up. Trust me I can relate to that._

"So did your mom constantly sing his praises and compare you to him at every possible opportunity too?" she asked with bleak humor.

_Yeeeah no, definitely not,_ Jericho told her. _Dad did most of the comparing on his own. I took a lot after Mom so… that's why he tended to favor Grant. Less sensitive, stronger, more aggressive in personality… more like him._

"Grant?"

_My older brother._

"I have _more_ long-lost siblings floating around?!" Rose exclaimed in disbelief. "Sheesh are we multiplying or something?"

Jericho shook his head. _It's just us two boys._

"Well that's a relief," Rose quipped.

She sat indian-style again and leaned back on her hands. Her brows scrunched. Something about the way Jericho was talking about their father, the words he was using… it was almost as if…

"It sounds like… he raised you guys."

Jericho stared at her a moment after the observation, then nodded his head and confirmed the statement.

Well that just made her feel jealous and abandoned all over again.

"I don't know why but somehow that makes me envious," she told the boy.

_It was only until I was four_ , he clarified, signing rapidly. _And he was away a lot doing mercenary work. They would argue about it a bunch. Mom didn't like how often he'd leave and not come back for weeks and miss birthdays and other events. Accused him of putting his wife and children at risk. I think she knew._ He shrugged. _Or at least she suspected. And then one day her warning came true and I got put in danger because of his job, which just made everything fall apart so Mom and Dad separated and_ —

"Wait wait wait—" Rose interrupted, putting her hands up. "Hold up a sec—Are you telling me our dad was actually _married_ once? Like, for real married?"

Out of all the surprising revelations she'd had that day, that was the most mind-boggling. Her father, mastermind criminal extraordinaire, ruthless assassin... devoted husband and father of two. Didn't really seem to connect.

_Yeah_ , Jericho answered her wearily. _But she divorced him._ His hands went still for a moment and then he amended, _Actually first she_ ** _shot_** _him,_ ** _then_** _she divorced him._

Rose shook her head. "You know… somehow that doesn't surprise me to hear."

Jericho gave an expression of commiseration. _Seems to be rather consistent with our family huh?_

"Mm-hmm."

The two fell silent for a moment. Jericho raised his hands unsurely, a troubled look in his green eyes.

_So… your mom was?_ he asked reluctantly.

"Random lay on the job I guess." Rose picked at the dirt in her boot treads. It happened. You found yourself in the same city as an attractive fellow assassin, doing a similar job, maybe even taking the same target. You got acquainted, teamed up, shared a few sparks, a couple drinks and a night of wild passion. Then in the morning you did your job and parted ways, never to see each other again. Nothing special.

_How… how old are you?_ Jericho dug further, the distress in his posture growing. Something was bothering him about the timeline. Rose clearly had a couple years on him and no matter how he did the math it had a rather uncomfortable repercussion as a result.

"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen in a week and a—" Rose cut herself off, noticing Jericho's unsettled countenance. "Wait, how old are you?"

She did the calculations in her head. He was what, fourteen? Fifteen?

"And you said you're the younger of the two so—" Her mind flipped through the calendar. Going back to account for their age difference, that would mean… aww crap. "Oh!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about what the implications would mean for him and your mom and… Ah jeez, I hope they didn't break up because of—"

_No_ , he assured her quickly. _That had nothing to do with it. It was what happened when I got kidnapped. That's what broke them up._

That made things better for her only slightly because at best she had been conceived before Grant and at worst she had been conceived sometime between the two boys. Either way still wasn't a very good prognosis. Rose's face twisted in an apologetic cringe. "Gah… now I feel really awful for existing."

Jericho looked up at her with a strangely intense gaze. _Don't be,_ he told her. _So we might have to add "adulterer" to the list of "murderer, thief, kidnapper, blackmailer, and domestic terrorist". So what? It doesn't matter._ His posture slumped and he brought his knees up and hugged them.

Boy was he a liar, Rose could tell. His feigned indifference had not masked the hurt one bit.

"I think it does matter," she said softly.

_I don't want to talk about it anymore_ , Jericho deflected. _Please._

Rose inhaled a slow breath. "Okay… how about you tell me some about your teammates instead?" she suggested, changing the subject. "And then maybe I can tell you about my crazy mother."

Jericho straightened his legs out. _Where to start?_ he said, cracking a grin.

-TT-

"I can't hear a thing," Kid Flash complained. "Are you sure you didn't soundproof this door?"

Argent rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. "Love, it's never been very easy to eavesdrop on conversations with that door closed."

"You coulda told me that before I tried," Kid Flash said, giving her a very annoyed and aggravated glower.

"You could've disregarded what I said about privacy and vibrated yourself through the door," she pointed out.

"Don't change the subject!" he snapped.

Argent leaned against the wall. "So who is she really? What's her story?"

Moving back from the door but still looking at it as though he could spontaneously develop x-ray vision and peer though he replied, "Oh her? She attacked me and Jinx this morning on our date."

There was a small pause and then a very flat, "What?" from Argent.

"Yeah. Then she got into a scuffle with Robin. Turns out she's Slade's daughter. Whoever knew the guy had a kid?"

Another pause.

" _And you just let me let her into the bloody Tower?!"_ Argent screeched, suddenly very upset with the speedster.

His shoulders gave a nonchalant shrug. "She's good now. We had a nice little talk out in the rain and then she decided villainy wasn't her thing so she took off her mask and put down her sword and she's been chilling in Titans West Tower since then."

Argent was flabbergasted. "I cannot _believe_ you."

"It's true." Something suddenly occurred to the speedster and he touched an index finger to his chin in thought. "Wait a minute now, if Rose said that Jericho's her _brother_ then…"

The New Zealander clapped her hands over her mouth with a gasp. "You don't think…?"

"It's possible," Kid Flash gestured casually. " _I_ don't see much of a resemblance." He sighed, dropping his hand and muttering, "Robin's not going to be happy."

"You're not seriously planning to _tell_ him are you?"

The speedster flinched. Argent's tone had been that familiar _Please tell me you're not really that much of an idiot_ tenor that Jinx liked to use on him so often. Why were all the girls he knew so remarkably adept at playing on his guilt? He backpedaled quickly. "That… depends on what Jericho's comfortable with," he told her. "Remember what you were saying about awkward and complicated family relations?"

"Of course."

"You don't generally go around telling people about them do you?"

Argent made a face. "Ugh. Certainly not."

"Exactly. Even if it's of potentially vital interest to your teammates, you can't _make_ someone spill on something they'd rather keep confidential, if they don't want to." He waved a hand at the door, indicating the people inside the room, his expression all serious now. "When Jericho's ready to divulge the secrets of his past, he will. I'm not going to push him."

Argent nodded, understanding.

Kid Flash crossed his arms and added, "Robin still won't be happy about it though." Straightening, he said, "Speaking of, I probably need to get her back to Jump City before he realizes we're not in the archives room anymore."

The Titaness did the honors, rapping on the door with her fist before she cracked it open.

"Rose darling, your babysitter is getting anxious," she called.

The two teens in the room glanced up at the sound of her voice, and then started to collect themselves and get to their feet. Their eyes were light with shared humor.

"So how many items were on that villainy list again? Did we count?" Rose joked, putting her hand out to help her brother up.

_I said five earlier, but I left off the arson, extortion, assault and battery, possession of unauthorized explosives…_

"We should make a countdown," Rose suggested helpfully.

Jericho gave a wry smirk. _The Top Ten Evilest Deeds of Our Father._

Rose laughed. "Whoo boy. Just ten?"

The mute boy thought about it a second. _Yeah you're right, they probably wouldn't all fit in a list of ten. Maybe we should double it to twenty._

"From what I know of him they wouldn't fit in a list of twenty either," Argent muttered under her breath as she turned away from the gap, back out of earshot.

Rose straightened her hair and tugged her uniform back into place. "Well he did have one redeeming quality," she commented.

_What's that?_

She gave him a gentle, sympathetic look. "I think he really loved her," she told him earnestly. "Your mother."

That caught Jericho off guard. He stood quiet, not signing, a guarded gaze in his eyes. He processed her declaration very slowly. Finally he lifted his hands.

_What makes you say that?_ he asked.

"Come on," Rose said, giving a playful shrug of her shoulders. "My mom gets knocked up from a one-night stand and gets maybe one follow-up visit from the guy—in which, if my single fuzzy memory is accurate, my parentage is _not_ discussed—and all he gives her is an instruction video in the mail on Assassination and Evil Overlording 101, to help raise me. Meanwhile he settles down with your mom, stays with her until she gets fed up with his villainous ways and puts a bullet in him, and keeps in contact with the kids he had by her." Rose paused to give another shrug. "It's really not much of a competition," she concluded.

Jericho soaked in her words a moment. _I see what you're saying,_ he said. _It still hurts though._

"Oh I know." She gestured a thumb at herself. "Believe me, finding out your idol has feet of clay really _sucks._ But if you're gonna reconcile all those angry thoughts and feeling you gotta either turn your back on the idol or hope at least his shins are made of something durable. Or something. You know, I have _no_ idea what I'm saying at this point, let's just pretend I stopped at the 'feet of clays sucks' part."

_That doesn't really make me feel better but… thanks._ He reached out for her hand, giving her a warm smile. _And… what you said about my mom…_

"It's the truth. I really think he loved her," she insisted.

She caught a glimpse of something glinting in his eyes. He withdrew and turned his head quickly, rubbing at them. His hands shook a little as he made his next reply.

_Thanks for that too._

"Anytime." She headed for the door. "Guess I'll see ya around. I'll be hanging out, meeting people, figuring out what to do with myself. Depending on what Robin decides to do with me…" She winked at him. "I might even become a Titan."

_I'll look forward to the day_ , he told her.

Rose sauntered to the door, now open, where Kid Flash and Argent were waiting. "Let's get going Speedo."

"Hang on tight," he instructed, turning his back so she could grab on to his neck with her arms, hands ready to hold her legs piggyback-style.

"Hey," she said, nudging Argent as she got ready. "Look after my baby brother, 'kay Sugar? 'cause if I hear that he gets hurt or something I'm tracking down my dad's robot army and bringing it here to reek havoc on the butt of the guy responsible."

"Duly noted," Argent replied, her voice teetering on the edge of a fearful squeak.

-TT-

Robin emerged from the evidence room, still distracted, and a little frustrated. He'd been reviewing the stuff already on his wall, hoping fresh eyes would turn up something new. He'd also been looking up information on their houseguest.

Information on Rose was aggravatingly sparse. She had no public records. No identification. The most he managed to unearth about her were a few police reports of unsolved minor crimes in various cities, the perpetrator roughly matching her description.

None of which helped his hunt for the bigger fish—Slade himself. The villain still eluded him, left his promising leads in dead ends and false chases. Robin sighed heavily. The mystery would remain unsolved today.

His feet steered him unconsciously towards the archives room, where he'd left Rose. He wanted to talk to her again, ask her more about her father. Maybe she'd remembered something…

He was so lost in thought he almost ran straight into Kid Flash.

"Woah there buddy, you gotta pay more attention to who's in the hallway with you," the speedster teased him good-naturedly as they disentangled themselves.

"Sorry about that," Robin collected himself, then looked about for Rose, confused. "Where's Rose?" he asked.

"She's…" Kid Flash turned as if expecting her to be right behind him and blinked in surprise when he found out she wasn't there. "Huh. I dunno," he shrugged.

"What do you _mean_ you don't know? I told you to watch her!" Robin snapped.

Kid Flash barely twitched at the Boy Wonder's outburst. "Technically you didn't _tell_ me to do anything, you just kinda nodded your head at the doorway and let me assume what you wanted," he pointed out.

Robin raised his finger, about to bite out an angry reply, but then a soft noise drew his attention. Both boys turned to see Rose stepping casually out of the archives room, a folder tucked unobtrusively under her arm.

"Heya boys! What's the shouting about?"

Robin calmed down immediately. "Where have you been?" he asked, relieved.

She slid her gaze off to the side, giving a small, mysteriously content smile.

"Just… getting to know my new family."


	45. Birthday

The chilly night air prickled their skin. Raven hugged herself tightly, feeling the goose bumps on her bare arms. Robin knelt a little off to the side, watching her in concern. She breathed in and out carefully, as if her delicate mental control of herself would shatter any minute.

She just needed a moment, she'd told him. Just let her rest a moment, before they stood up. She didn't trust that her legs wouldn't turn to jelly as soon as she put her weight on them. Robin let her have that moment, though from his anxious glances down the street she could tell he was worried about getting back to the rest of their friends.

Finally she seemed to get a better hold of herself. Her breathing slowed into something more natural. Robin leaned forward.

"Can you stand now?" he asked.

She was quiet a second. Then she replied softly, "Yeah…" Cautiously, she started to lift herself off the pavement. Robin offered his hand and Raven accepted it. He helped her to her feet, steadying her when she wobbled suddenly. Raven regained her footing, moved Robin out of her way, and stumbled off in the direction of the factory where, as far as they knew, their friends still were.

Robin followed close in her wake, limping a little. The way Raven shuffled and her utterly drained body-language were disconcerting. He didn't think he'd ever seen her so unsettled. He bit his lip and trotted to catch up to her. She looked shaky on her legs, so he reached for her arm, to sling it over his shoulder and help her walk.

"I don't need help," she snapped. She pushed him away.

Robin frowned but stepped back and allowed her to continue on without support. Raven could be almost as stubborn as he was when it came to things like this and he didn't want to push her. Especially after… whatever Slade had said or done that had made her so upset. Robin walked a bit behind the troubled empath, his mind running over the frightening events that had just happened to both of them.

Slade. Slade was back. He was _alive._ And more powerful than ever, wielding strange new fire powers and shrugging off blows that should have killed him. Robin didn't know which horrified him more, that Slade had simply stood back upright and cracked his joints after the brutal spin-kicks Robin had laid on him, or the fact that he'd struck with the actual intent to break Slade's neck in the first place.

He'd been in such denial. He'd thought… it couldn't possibly be the _real_ Slade… he must've assumed it was another robot decoy. That's what he told himself. Over and over every time he replayed the scene in his mind.

But the truth was, he'd just been so flat-out _terrified_ that he'd lashed out with lethal force, without even thinking about it.

And that scared him almost more than Slade's return.

He cast a quick glance upwards at the rooftops but of course, Slade wasn't there. The villain's present absence did nothing to settle him.

How? After everything, after he'd finally managed to let go, give up on his obsession… how could Slade be back? How had he _survived?_ And why of all people was he suddenly after Raven?

He pulled his mind off the unanswered questions, focusing his attention on his teammate again, as they walked. She seemed steadier on her feet now. The ragged tatters of her clothing hung limply on her frame, and she rubbed her arms up and down furiously. She was shivering. Robin debated with himself a moment, then unfastened his cape.

Raven caught what he was doing out of the corner of her eye, and tried to brush him off when he held it out to her. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

" _Take it_. That's an order," he said, shoving it into her hands.

She glared at him resentfully, but took the cape and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Robin stepped away from her, exasperated. Was this how Starfire felt like all the time, dealing with him? He had to admire the miraculous amount of patience it must take for her.

They were almost to the old factory now. He knew Raven would clam up the minute they reached the other Titans. If he wanted to ask her any questions about what the heck was going on, he'd have to ask them now.

He cleared his throat.

Raven's eyes flicked to him.

"What… what happened up there?" he said. "What did Slade want?"

She dropped her gaze to the pavement passing under her feet. For a moment Robin thought she wouldn't answer, but then her low gravelly voice mumbled, "He wanted… to deliver a message."

"A message?" Robin repeated. "From who?"

"Someone very… very bad," Raven replied vaguely. Robin wanted to ask more but Raven held up her hand. "Please," she begged him, "just… I don't want to talk about it."

Robin stared at her a moment, and then sighed heavily. "Okay," he relented.

They were at the door now, and Robin moved ahead of her and reached forward to shove it open.

-TT-

Raven's knees gave out on her a few steps in. She felt Robin rush up to support her and this time, she didn't shove him away. She felt ill in the pit of her stomach. Her head spun a little dizzily and she could hear the faint exclamations of the other Titans in the distance. Leaning on her leader, she stumbled weakly in the direction of their voices. They sounded worried. Fearful. Starfire even sounded a bit hysterical.

Raven's stomach continued churning as she and Robin made their way down into the chamber where the whole ordeal had started. Through her nausea, she wondered how she was going to face her other teammates.

_What am I going to tell them?_

Well the answer to that was simple: she wouldn't. She was still too afraid of her vision to talk about it, still too religiously protective of her privacy and past to divulge it, and her normal coping sarcasm was rather failing her at the moment.

And she was far too shaken up to say anything anyway.

She and Robin staggered into the chamber and Raven caught the tail end of Starfire's frantic yelling and the lower murmurs of Cyborg and Beast Boy as they tried to calm her down.

"—done to them! He could have taken them anywhere and be performing all manner of horrible sadistic tortures on them! We must hurry and—" Starfire stopped her tirade and halted her determined flight towards the door when she caught sight of them. "Robin!" she exclaimed in relief. She dropped from the air and set her feet on the floor, then dashed towards them. "You are—"

She interrupted herself and her movement again when she noticed Raven's condition. Her relieved smile faded.

"Raven?" she called timidly.

Beast Boy and Cyborg had been running up as well. The sight of Raven, her long hair, and the shredded remains of her leotard stopped them in their tracks just behind the Tamaranian.

"Woah," Cyborg gasped.

"Dude…" Beast Boy breathed, horrified, his wide eyes taking in the exposed bare skin of Raven's body. His expression was all serious, not even attempting to make light of the situation with his usual humor. "Raven… are… are you okay?" he asked, the concern in his voice genuine.

She managed to look up at them, to see their matching expressions of worry, and the guilt stabbed through her. It wasn't fair to keep this from them. They were her friends, they loved her, they would support her throughout her trials no matter what. But she couldn't live with herself if they got hurt trying to help her, and their involvement in this "business" with her father would only serve to harm them. Possibly kill them. She couldn't drag them into it. She couldn't.

But still, seeing their worry broke something down inside her. An uncharacteristic and helpless sensation of vulnerability overwhelmed her from the inside, as though the full terror of her ordeal were only truly descending upon her now. She trembled; her eyes stung with moisture.

For potentially the first time in her life, she felt in desperate need of a hug. She got her legs steady underneath her, gently pushing off Robin, and lurched towards Starfire.

When you needed blind, unconditional comfort, you went to Starfire.

Raven threw her arms around the surprised Tamaranian and let herself break down again. Her body wracked with dry sobs. She shuddered in the girl's embrace.

"Raven…" Starfire whispered, stroking her friend's hair gently, trying to soothe her. The empath closed her eyes furiously against the tears that threatened to come. Her senses felt Beast Boy's presence drawing near and a moment later she felt the changeling's gloved hand on her shoulder. She pulled an arm out and hooked it around the shape-shifter's neck, drawing him into the embrace as well. Their warm arms surrounded her with a sense of safety and comfort.

Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all lifted their eyes to Robin, probing, seeking an explanation.

He held their questioning gaze a somber moment. "She's had a rough night," he said simply. He turned to go. "Come on, let's just go back to the Tower." The first step did something that made him grimace.

"You are hurt!" Starfire cried.

His features twinged in discomfort. "It isn't bad," he told her.

Raven felt ashamed of herself. She had completely forgotten that Robin had been injured by the encounter with Slade too. She vowed to herself to heal him and make up for that once they were back home. For now though, she eased herself out of the consoling hug with Starfire and Beast Boy, leaned on both teammate's shoulders, and let them walk her slowly to the car.

-TT-

It was the quietest ride home they'd ever had.

Raven calmed down again on the way there and spent the remainder of the drive silent and subdued. Robin slipped into a blank trance and didn't stir from it until they pulled into the garage. Starfire sent anxious glances between him and the empath the whole time.

Raven got out of the car on her own and went straight to her room, shutting the door behind her. For a long while, she sat on her bed, staring off into space, a new uniform sitting folded on her lap.

Slade's voice echoed in her mind.

" _You're going to destroy the world, Raven."_

She shivered.

A knock came at her door and she turned her head.

"Raven?" It was Beast Boy. "Are you okay?"

Raven hesitated a moment and then sighed. "No," she admitted. "Not really."

The changeling slid the door open a little from his side, and peeked in. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure…" Raven mumbled quietly.

Beast Boy slipped through the door and tiptoed a few paces into her room uncertainly. He stopped at a safe distance away from her, as though fearful she'd turn a sudden demonic wrath on him. "Do you need anything?" he offered. "Anything at all?"

"Not right now," she dismissed.

The shape-shifter bit his lip, and Raven saw his eyes flit over her tattered uniform again. "Slade didn't…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. "…did he?"

"No. But it still wasn't pleasant," Raven grumbled. "I'm going to need a lot of meditation to shake off the trauma." Well, nice to see that her sarcasm was coming back to her; that gave her faint hope that things might return to normal… for a little while at least. Until Slade struck again. She squeezed the fresh uniform to her chest and stood up from her bed. "Tell the others I'll be out in a moment," she instructed Beast Boy. "I just need to… take care of a few things."

Beast Boy wavered a second, then nodded and backed out of the room, sliding the door closed on his way out.

Raven dressed herself in the new uniform, tossing the old one in the trash. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her cloak, brushing a strand of lengthy purple hair out of her face. She stared at herself in the mirror and frowned. The long hair spilled around her shoulders, mocking her, reminding her of Slade's message and the gruesome destiny that awaited her. She saw the ruined city wreathed in flames, the unmoving statues of people scattering the empty streets. And she wanted no part in it. Her gaze drifted to the drawer of her vanity. Swiftly she grabbed the handle, yanking out the drawer. Her eyes found the pair of scissors she kept there.

Her hand descended upon it.

-TT-

"Are you out of your mind?" Cyborg exclaimed. "After the way she reacted the first time?"

"Look I know it's crazy, I really do," Beast Boy said. "But she just got attacked and traumatized by Mr. Creepy I'm-Back-From-The-Dead Slade." His voice dropped quieter. "I think she could use a little fun. To take her mind off things."

Starfire piped up. "I agree. I think it is the best comfort we can offer her at this point."

The half-robot looked back and forth between the two incredulously. "Do you both have a death wish?" He jerked his head to where Robin was standing, arms crossed, watching their exchange. "Robin, _you_ tell them how insane it is."

Robin straightened. "Actually… I'm with Beast Boy," he told Cyborg. "I think it's a good idea."

Cyborg threw up his hands in surrender. "Okay fine," he acquiesced. "But I'm not baking that eight-layer cake all over again."

The changeling grinned. "How soon can you reassemble the first one?"

"Soon enough."

The four got to work repairing the birthday decorations Raven had torn up the previous evening. The broken dishes thrown away and the banner hastily taped back together, they reconstructed a semblance of the original festivities. Then, taking their places, they once again sent Beast Boy as their secret knocker to go fetch Raven.

She was surprised again by their throwing her a birthday party, but much calmer. And this time she seemed genuinely touched by the gesture. There was a tense moment when it looked like she might blow up at them again, but she only scanned her eyes over the decorations and declared, "We're going to need ice cream." and they relaxed and set about getting it.

The party was a cheerful, if somewhat quiet affair. Raven made a game attempt to enjoy herself, to smile and make a few sarcastic cracks. She put her mind far, far away from the flames and the chasing and the vision of devastation, and focused it on the here and now. No prophecies, no messages, no writing glowing on her skin. She was just a teenage girl with her friends, and they were having a celebration. They were eating desserts, and playing games. Though the shadow of the horrible night lingered over her head, she found she didn't need to pretend she was having fun. Once, she even—at one of Beast Boy's groaners no less—laughed softly.

They stared openly at her in shock, mouths open. She averted her eyes, blushing slightly.

At a lull in the festivities, she decided it was time to attend to Robin. She got up from her chair and went over to where he was sitting at the kitchen table with Starfire. He and the alien princess glanced up at her from their conversation.

"You need a healing session," she told him.

"I'm okay, Raven," he insisted.

"Robin, you were thrown into the side of a car and crushed between two boulders. You are _not_ okay."

He blew out a defeated breath and reluctantly lifted his injured ankle, propping his foot in Star's lap. Starfire cradled the boy's steel-plated shoe, watching as Raven bent down and worked her magic. The empath enveloped Robin's ankle in a blue healing glow, and when that was done moved her hand up to point at his chest. Hidden tension eased out of him as he felt the dull aches and internal bruising fade.

Raven leaned back upright. "You'll be a little sore tomorrow, but that should do it," she announced. Looking shame-faced she added, "I should've gotten to you sooner. I'm sorry. I was only thinking of myself."

"Given the circumstances… I don't blame you," Robin said.

Starfire nodded in agreement. "Do not feel guilt Raven."

Raven smiled faintly, then turned from them and walked to join the Pin-the-Tail game Cyborg and Beast Boy were involved in.

"I am worried about her," Starfire confessed once she was out of earshot. "I wish she would tell us why she hates her day of birth so much. I wish she would not keep us in the dark."

Robin sighed. "Me too, Star. Me too."

-TT-

The party wound down. The first glimmers of pink peeked over the horizon, and Raven rose to depart for her room and go to bed. Beast Boy helped her gather up the presents the Titans had given her, while Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire worked to take down the decorations.

Raven soon exited with Beast Boy trailing close behind her. Starfire glanced to the door as they left. She folded up the streamers absentmindedly, her thoughts far away. Cyborg stepped down from the ladder and handed her the last trailing crepe end, then moved over to the sink to clean up the dishes.

"What a night," he muttered.

Robin wandered over to help Starfire. "I'm just glad it's over," he said, taking a streamer and rolling it up. "Raven's safe, she's a little shell-shocked but seems to have pulled herself together, extensive damage was done to the factory but we're all okay, none of us were seriously injured…"

Cyborg nodded. "Everything's all right."

"No," Starfire interrupted quietly. "No it is not." At their questioning look, she raised her chin soberly and explained, "Slade has returned. There can be no rest or safety for any of us while is he around."

Robin narrowed his eyes determinedly. "We'll stop him Starfire. Whatever he's planning to do, we'll stop him." He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. "I promise."

Her expression was distant. "I still remember the last time… what he did to you…" She met his gaze, her features hard and a strange burning fierceness in the gleam of her eyes. Firm resolution rang clear in her voice.

"I will not let him hurt you again."

-TT-

Faint light from the windows was starting to fill the hallways. Beast Boy followed Raven as they walked through the predawn atmosphere to her room, their footsteps the only sound.

The changeling shifted one of the presents in his hands. "So… you holding up okay?" he piped up.

Raven stopped in front of her door, easing it open with her powers since her hands were full. "I'll be all right…" she said. "Eventually. I hope," she added under her breath, stepping through the doorway. Aloud she said, "Thanks for the meditation CD."

"You're welcome. I figured you'd like it."

She dropped her stuff on the nearest bookshelf and reached back to take Beast Boy's armful, which he handed to her without protest. The changeling was about to go, but then Raven called, "Beast Boy?"

He faced her, unsure. "Yeah?"

Raven opened her mouth, closed it, lowered her head. "Thanks for the party," she finally murmured. "It was… nice."

His green eyes brightened a notch and he gave a dim smile.

"Happy Birthday Raven," he said, his voice surprisingly tender.

They parted ways, Beast Boy heading back up the hall and Raven closing her door. She slumped against it, weary and drained. Her eyes swept a sullen gaze around her room. For the moment, there were no fires or creepy red eyes. No signs that her father had visited. Nothing but her bed, books, and candles. For the moment, she was alone in her room. For the moment, she was safe.

For the moment, the end of the world was delayed.

Raven slid to the floor and hugged her knees, cradling herself. The faint echoes of Slade's voice whispered mockingly inside her mind.

_Happy Birthday_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wondered what the other three Titans' reactions were once time unfroze itself, especially to find Slade and two of their companions missing. I figured after the events of "Haunted", considering that Robin nearly DIED the last time Slade was "back", Starfire would flip the flying bejeezers out, to put it mildly, at his returning again and _especially_ at his vanishing along with Robin. The Season Four arc had some really great subtle moments where Starfire seemed much more protective of Robin than usual, and I like to think she was deliberately defending him from Slade. So yeah... little Rob/Star nod to that.


	46. In a Flash

It was a slow day for him. Or rather, a less rushed day, considering no one would ever call the blazing pace at which he went through his schedule "slow". But there hadn't been as many petty crimes to stop and he'd already helped over two dozen people with their menial household chores (he'd even unclogged someone's slow shower drain) so the number of items on his To Do list was rapidly declining. The local supervillains hadn't even reared their heads today, which was nice, but it also made him worry that they were just lying low after their last few embarrassing defeats and were taking that time out to refine new nefarious plots.

Which he would of course stop heroically in the nick of time. Or before the nick of time actually, since time was a rather nebulous concept with him.

Oh well. In the meanwhile he had some space to relax.

And clean his apartment, he decided as he stepped on a stray bit of pizza crust on his way through the door. He set his groceries down on the counter first and unloaded them, speeding around the kitchen back and forth from the refrigerator to the pantry and back again. Then he zipped around gathering up the trash, which he put in a white plastic trash bag and ran down to the dumpsters in the back alley. When he returned he picked up all the random items on the floor and put them away, sliding CDs back into their shelves and tossing socks into the hamper. He decided he might as well vacuum too since there were probably still crumbs or something stuck in the carpet so he breezed to the closet and got the device out. The vacuuming slowed him down a little bit, if only because he was making sure to be thorough, but a few minutes later that task too was finished and he stashed the machine back in the closet where it belonged. He paid a quick trip down to his base of hero operations—a hidden room in the basement that could only be reached from his room, an arrangement made long ago between him and his very understanding landlady—and checked to see if anything was afoot. Seeing that all was calm, he popped back upstairs, folded up his recyclable grocery bags, and put them away.

Then he rearranged his CD collection alphabetically by genre, just for the heck of it.

Finally he plopped himself down on the couch, flicking through the channels idly. Nothing particularly caught his interest but he kept clicking, hoping something would grab his short attention span.

His stomach grumbled.

"What, already? Didn't I just feed you ten minutes ago?" Kid Flash complained.

Another rumble, louder this time.

"Must've been the vacuuming huh?"

A long groan.

"Okay okay, hold your horses," he relented, getting up and going to the door. Even though he'd just gotten fresh groceries, he had an insistent craving for the foot-long turkey and ham subway sandwiches sold down the street at Uncle Joe's Soup and Sandwich Shop, so he loaded up his coin purse and headed out into the breezy afternoon.

Down below, at his crime computer, a red light started blinking on and off.

-TT-

Robin tapped a foot impatiently.

He held his Titans communicator in one hand, and rested the other on the desk by his keyboard. His computer was hooked up to one of Cyborg's long-range transmitters and a couple portable security sensors. The setup served as his current temporary base of operations while the Titans were staying here, in a hotel somewhere in Alberta. At least… he was pretty sure it was Alberta. It had been a while since he'd actually checked a map.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing under his eye wearily. He hadn't been getting enough sleep; Starfire was starting to comment about the dark circles under his eyes. This whole business with the Brotherhood was tiring him out. And though he wouldn't admit it out loud (someone had to keep everyone focused on the mission of course) he felt really homesick.

His home, though, was far away and presently unprotected. Bumblebee had called him that morning and told him Titans East needed to leave and vacate the city pronto.

" _Are you sure you can't stay on until I can find someone else to relieve you?"_ he'd asked. _"I don't like leaving Jump unmonitored."_

"' _fraid not Robin. Trouble's stirring back in Steel City. The mayor called us back himself."_

Robin had sighed but accepted her news without protest. _"Okay. Go ahead and get back home. I'll think of something."_

" _Sorry,"_ Bee apologized before the line cut out.

It had taken him a bit of digging (and some hacking, but he wasn't going to mention that part), but he'd finally unearthed the contact information of an old friend he was certain could help.

Assuming of course, he would pick up the blasted line.

-TT-

"Whoops," Kid Flash said, hearing his pager vibrate on the coffee table as he came in, indicating someone was calling him on his encrypted hero frequency. "Phone call."

He set his sandwich down and zipped down the stairs and into the basement.

-TT-

"Finally," Robin muttered under his breath as the line clicked. Before he could say anything a cheery voice on the other end spoke rapidly.

"Hi you're reached the super-secret hideout of Kid Flash, once-junior partner of The Flash, now lightning-fast charming and handsome solo hero, here to protect and serve you in any way you need, except for tonsil surgery because I suck at that. Oh, and I don't really sing all that well either so if you're looking for someone to do the national anthem at the next Dodgers game—"

Even though it _sounded_ like an answering machine message Robin knew it wasn't, because that would be a completely absurd thing to have on a coded channel like this one. And because Kid Flash never needed one anyway since he always picked up the phone on time.

So he interrupted the rambling with a single concise sentence.

"Wally."

The voice on the other end fell silent. A long moment passed.

"…Robin?" Kid Flash piped up quizzically. "Dick, is that you?"

Robin grinned faintly in relief. "Yeah. Yeah it is," he replied.

"Ha! Long time no hear from you buddy! How are things in old Gotham eh? Joker still up to his usual mischief?"

"Actually I don't live in Gotham anymore. I live in—" Robin paused, with an aside glance over his shoulder at the hotel room. "That is, I've _been_ living in Jump City with my team," he corrected himself.

Not missing a beat, Kid Flash replied, "Been living? Where are you now?"

Robin looked out the window at the snow-flecked trees. "Central Canada."

"Ah," the speedster acknowledged. A beat, and then, "Wait, _why?_ "

"It's a long story," Robin dismissed, reaching forward to fiddle with the wires connecting the transmitter. He plugged a video jack into a port on his computer and futzed with it a few seconds. "But it's the reason why I contacted you," he continued.

"And here I was hoping you just wanted to play catch-up with an old friend," Kid Flash said in mock disappointment.

"Some other time," Robin said, concentrating hard on what he was doing. A bit of finagling and the computer screen flickered to life, an image of the junior speedster appearing on it, lounging in the swivel chair in front of his own work desk. "Much better," Robin muttered under his breath.

Kid Flash blinked and straightened on his chair. "What's with the _hair?_ Are you going for a porcupine look or did you get on the stylist's bad side today?"

"It's a product of my teenage rebellion," Robin drolled flatly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Be serious Wally."

The speedster grinned and held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I was just teasing. It's a good look for you." He relaxed his arms behind his head and crossed one leg over the other, stretching out in his seat. "So! What hero business can I help you with today?"

Robin set his communicator down as he explained. "The Titans and I have been tracking various operatives of the Brotherhood of Evil around the world for the past few months, and unfortunately that means we're away from home a lot. I need someone to look after the city while we're gone. I had our sister team, the Titans East, watching over things but they got called back to their own town and I had to send them home."

Kid Flash saluted. "Say no more Boy Wonder. I'm your go-to guy for city-babysitting!" he declared.

"Can you handle it all by yourself?" Robin questioned, concern in his eyes. "I won't have anyone available for back-up for a few weeks."

The speedster shrugged nonchalantly. "Piece of cheesecake."

Robin gave a curt nod and then leaned forward and started typing on his keyboard. "I'm uploading the list of villains to watch out for now," he said, hitting the enter key. "Most of them have been traveling with the Brotherhood's operations but the HIVE Five, Control Freak, and some others are still in the area."

"I'll make sure to say hi. What's their shtick?" asked Kid Flash, tapping the dashboard with his fingers.

"Petty crimes for the most part. The HIVE kids have been involved in a couple more nefarious dealings but only under the authority of someone else. And Control Freak _tries_ to be a big megalomaniac villain but kinda… fails at it."

Green text scrolled across the screen on Kid Flash's end and he sped-read through the list of names. "Gotcha. Anything else I should know?"

"All relevant information is being sent to you as we speak."

Kid Flash's eyes skimmed over the documents popping up in various windows on his computer screen. Background profiles, dossiers, and police reports all appeared for his viewing pleasure. He clicked out of them all and dragged them to a new folder, to look over more thoroughly later.

His stomach gurgled insistently.

"If you need to—"

"Hang on a second," he interrupted Robin, vanishing from the room in a blur.

Robin blinked, taken aback at the speedster's sudden absence. He didn't have long to wait though for a few seconds later Kid Flash returned to his seat, sandwich in hand.

"Sorry, you were saying?" he said around a mouthful of bread and tomato and lettuce.

"Um…" Robin shook his head, re-gathering his thoughts. "If you need to contact us you're welcome to use the communications hub in the Tower. It's the only consistent means we have right now. I'll see about getting you a Titans communicator, though."

Kid Flash swallowed his mouthful. "Cool." He put his sandwich down by the mouse pad and brought up a map of North America. "I can be in Canada in a couple hours to pick it up."

"Not necessary. I have your address."

The speedster balked. "What?" he exclaimed incredulously. "How did you get—"

The corner of Robin's mouth turned up in a wry smile. "I'm Batman's kid remember?"

"We need to talk boundaries sometime Robin."

Ignoring the remark, the Titan punched a few more keys and sent the access codes to the Tower over Cyborg's transmitter. "Take care of the place for me," he implored. To himself, he added softly, "I've gotten really attached to it."

Kid Flash was still a little indignant about Robin's uncanny knowledge of where he lived, but he set aside his protests for the moment, making a quick printout of the map and marking out the route he would take with a red marker. "Jump City's pretty far from Gotham," he noticed as he traced a line along his path. He looked up at Robin. "Get homesick much?" he asked.

"Not really."

The speedster set down his pen. "What, is Bats giving you the cold shoulder or something?" His eyes narrowed disapprovingly at the other boy. "You didn't stiff him on your Christmas cards did you?"

"We had a disagreement," Robin summarized tersely. "It's not important." Waving off any further line of questioning he said, "Anyway, let me know if something comes up, especially if the Brotherhood makes a move on the city. We'll be heading down to the Arizona region soon, so we'll be close by if things get too hard to handle."

"Robin, seriously, stop being such a worrywart. I got this." Kid Flash pointed a thumb at himself. "I'm the fastest boy alive. What could I _possibly_ not handle?"

"You'd be surprised."

Brushing off the Boy Wonder's cautions, Kid Flash picked up his lunch again. "I'll pop over to Jump as soon as I'm able to."

"Good. And Wally?

"Hmm?"

Robin sent him an appreciative smile. "Thanks."

"No problem," Kid Flash told him, flashing the Titan a thumbs-up.

The Boy Wonder's image flickered out as he unplugged the video jack, and Kid Flash's OPS center was quiet once again, save for the sound of his munching.

He finished his lunch shortly, wiped his mouth, and then stood up.

"Well," he announced to the air, "now's as good a time as any."

With that, he quickly packed a small satchel full of clothes and toiletries, locked and secured his apartment behind him, and set off.

-TT-

He arrived in Jump City late evening, if only because he was taking a rather leisurely—for him anyway—pace to get to his destination. The first thing he did was book himself a hotel room. (While the offer of staying at the Tower was nice, he preferred a more unobtrusive method.) Since it was late, he did a quick night patrol to check things out and get a feel for the layout of the city, and then he turned in.

The first few days were… pretty quiet actually. He stopped a few burglaries here and there, rescued some kittens from a storm drain, helped an old woman cross the street, put away her groceries, and find her high school sweetheart Norbert again. In the mornings he had time to zip back over to his hometown and check the mail (and thwart a few crimes there too), and it was thus that he received his standard-issue Titans communicator from Robin.

About the fifth night the HIVE Five started making heists in the downtown districts. Kid Flash was out and about when the first alarms went off, and dashed over to see what was up. Several oddly-dressed youngsters were fleeing from the scene, including a pint-sized bald kid, a teen boy with a huge eyeball helmet thing, a big guy and a diminutive pink-haired girl that—Hel- _loooo_ nurse!

The speedster smacked himself back to attention.

They burst out of various shop doors, evidence of their pillaging clutched in their arms. He didn't stop them right away, choosing to study them and watch their group dynamics for a bit. Pink-haired girl got agitated about something and started waving her arms at the others. Two more juvenile thieves finally emerged into the street, and then the group made off with their plunder.

He considered whether or not to go after them but decided he needed more information on their powers and abilities before he confronted them. Besides, something about the group, especially the girl, intrigued him.

So for now he let them go.

The next few nights were reconnaissance. He observed the group and their interactions from a safe distance, letting them have a little leniency and freedom to steal (though he did surreptitiously snatch a few things back when they weren't looking and returned them to their proper owners), and just got a feel for how they functioned.

Jinx, the pink-haired girl, he soon discovered, was the oft-flustered leader of the team, and frequently and repeatedly berated her teammates for their incompetence and dunder-headed actions. The rest of the group were pretty typical petty thieves and mischief-makers who didn't have a whole lot of ambition outside of Steal Shiny Stuff And Make Money, but Jinx? Dreamed of bigger and greater things. There was something in her, he could tell, that wanted more from life than what was currently allotted to her.

It _fascinated_ him. He found himself watching her the most whenever he shadowed the HIVE Five's doings.

There was one moment, the second night he'd allocated for Enemy Info Gathering, when one of the others—the bald kid, Gizmo—was bragging about breaking into a tech lab and having stolen… an advance copy of a highly anticipated video game. Jinx, patience already wearing thin that evening, lost her cool completely and just exploded.

"You… _idiot!_ " She snatched the game box out of Gizmo's hands and whapped him over the head with it. "I send you into one of the most high-security tech labs in the world, filled with dozens of advance prototype weapons and technology, and the _only_ thing you can think of to steal is a _video game?_ "

Gizmo looked appropriately shame-faced at her scolding but flailed his arms when Jinx started walking away from them resolutely, the game still in her hands.

"Hey! Where are you taking that?" he screeched.

"I'm putting it back. You can buy it when it comes out and when it's available on the shelves of the GamesWorld by our hideout. _Like a_ ** _normal_** _person!_ " she shouted.

Kid Flash had known a lot of girls in his time and had never particularly taken a shine to the kind that yelled and berated her male companions all the time but he could've sworn in that moment that his heart went pitter-pat.

At any rate by the third Recon Night, once he had a good idea of where the HIVE kids liked to strike, how they operated and how Jinx led them, it was time to do his job as a hero and try his best to… "discourage" the rascals from their criminal pursuits.

_Playtime's over kids,_ he thought as he headed to the museum where their latest heist was taking place. A still-lit flower shop caught his attention as he breezed past it; he watched it pass in the corner of his eye and resisted the temptation to go in. _No flirting with the villainesses on the first run-in_ , he reminded himself.

A few minutes later he skidded to a halt, retraced his steps, and entered the flower shop.

_Oh what the heck_ , he decided. _She_ ** _is_** _pretty cute._

Buying a single elegant rose he dashed back out to the museum to make his dramatic entrance.

-TT-

So _this_ was what Robin meant when he warned him about things that were too hard to handle. He really should have studied those dossiers a bit closer when he had the chance.

Kid Flash pumped his legs in a blur, pouring on the speed as he dodged Madame Rouge's slashing fists. He ran along the faces of buildings and she punched the concrete just behind him. He kept going. Glancing behind him and seeing no one, he almost relaxed. But then he looked forward again.

_Gah!_

He screeched to a halt, for there she was blocking his path. She decked him and he went flying. His graceful aerial arc ended in a not-so-graceful faceplant into the street. He groaned and peeled himself off the pavement. Jerking to his feet he zoomed off just in time to avoid the woman's heels as they descended to impale his head. He spun in a red and yellow whirlwind around her, trying to hold her immobile in a vortex of moving air. She just reached in with her hand and let his momentum wrap him up in her grasp. Kid Flash looked down to find several loops of the villainess's rubbery arm around him.

_Well that was stupid._

Vibrating rapidly, he managed to create enough heat and friction to make her let go. She pulled her arm back and clutched it. Kid Flash put his hands on his waist smugly a moment but that confidence dropped as soon as she glared up at him and lifted her arm, and then he ran for it.

Her hand stretched after him and expanded into a giant claw that hemmed him in.

_Oh crud_ , he thought, pulling up short and bolting another direction. And then another as her other hand came after him. No matter which way he dodged, her fiendish clutches were there waiting.

"You cannot vin," she asserted in her strange accent.

"I still have a few tricks left," he bantered, building up steam to vibrate himself through a few walls.

He realized the instant he crashed through the first wall that he was tiring out and losing power. That did not bode well for his attempts to elude the villainess.

_Crud crud crud crud_ —

Figuring he'd at least put some good distance between them, Kid Flash stopped a moment to catch his breath. Only to have it hitch up and choke him when he looked up and found that horror movie monster physics apparently applied to Madame Rouge.

_Cruuuuuud!_

Well he had to admit one thing; this was the most excitement he'd had all week.

-TT-

Kid Flash rapped his fingers lightly on the armrest as he waited for the transmission to connect. He had the TV on and tuned to the History Channel, a sofa cushion behind his head, and his feet propped up on the coffee table. He was taking the rest of the night off. After the excitement of the previous couple hours he deserved it.

His shiny new communicator clicked and a picture of Robin popped onto the small screen. He was in a different room this time, one he was shuffling through agitatedly, moving papers around and lifting up furniture.

"Hi Robin!" the speedster greeted.

"What?" Robin glanced up, startled, his eyes focusing across the room. "Oh, it's you," he said, relaxing slightly. He went back to his rifling. Kid Flash could faintly hear things tipping about and falling to the floor through the speakers on his communicator, and as small and far away as the camera angle made Robin's face seem Kid Flash thought the Boy Wonder's expression looked a bit… distressed.

The speedster raised an eyebrow. "Lose something?" he asked.

Robin sat up on his knees, brows scrunching. "I'm not…" He trailed off and after a moment bent down again and resumed his rummaging.

Kid Flash watched him a while, waiting awkwardly on the line. When several moments had passed without Robin acknowledging him, he piped up, "Hey, so! You asked me to let you know if the Brotherhood of Evil made a move on Jump City."

"Huh? Oh… yeah," Robin said, distracted. Under his breath Kid Flash heard him say, "I could've _sworn_ I put it right—"

"It was just one of them but she was pretty tough," Kid Flash informed him, deciding to ramble about the experience even though Robin wasn't paying attention. "She was only there to capture me, though. But then you'll never guess what happened. You know Jinx, the cute girl with the bubblegum hair who leads the HIVE Five?" Not waiting to see if Robin remembered the villainess he went on, "Well she and I kinda had a few nice chats and I think I got her thinking. And then when it looked like I was goner she actually helped me out. Like, she stood up to Miss Creepy Unstoppable Rubber Woman and everything! I really like her spunk, you know. You think maybe if I keep working at her she'll be taken in by my charms and good looks and give up villainy for a life of heroic deeds and service to manki—"

Robin finally stopped searching through the room and grabbed up his communicator. "Look, now isn't a good time," he told the speedster, aggravated. "Call me back later," he snapped and with that the screen went black.

_Jeez, when'd he become such a tightwad?_

Kid Flash held the dark communicator in his hand a moment and then flipped it closed with a sardonic, "Nice talking to you too."

Tossing the device aside for now, he picked up the remote and turned the volume up. The History Channel had a special about speedster heroes of the past on, and he was enjoying it quite immensely.

His schedule for the next week looked pretty clear too, so he'd have plenty of time to hang around Jinx. She hadn't tossed away the second rose he'd given her (to thank her for not turning him in to Madame Rouge) and she even maybe sort of smiled and was mildly flattered by the gesture. He hadn't stayed long enough to really see for sure, since his first priority was Get The Heck Away From The Creepy Lady.

But all in all, it had been a fairly productive day. He'd harassed the HIVE Five, gotten friendly with Jinx, _possibly_ picked her up as a love interest, fought a crazy supervillainess, and managed to live to tell about it.

'Twas good to be a hero.


	47. Titan's Best Friend

"So then the pig says to the horse, 'Hey dude, why the long face?'" Beast Boy clutched his stomach and giggled hysterically at the punch line to his own joke. But instead of hearing the soft accompanying laughter he was expecting, he was met with only silence.

Beast Boy opened his eyes and looked up to see the blank expression on Starfire's face.

"I do not get it," she said.

Worst words for a comedian to hear. Beast Boy let go of his stomach and gestured with his hands.

"Because, you know… horses have like these long narrow faces…" he attempted to explain. "So when he stepped up to the bar with like this sad expression, the pig was all like…" He trailed off.

Starfire just blinked at him.

"Never mind," Beast Boy decided, waving her off and promptly aborting the joke. He scratched his chin, racking his brain for something that wouldn't fly over his alien teammate's head. "Okay okay I got one!" he said, straightening back up. "Why does Raven need to meditate every day?"

Starfire tilted her head and shrugged politely. She knew the _real_ reason the empath meditated—to control her powers—but Beast Boy was obviously leading in to something so she didn't want to interrupt him.

Encouraged, Beast Boy finished, "Because otherwise she'd go stark- _Raven_ -mad!"

That had the desired effect the changeling was hoping for; Starfire put a hand over her mouth and laughed brightly behind it. Grinning, the changeling leaned back in satisfaction.

He always felt accomplished whenever he got one of the others to laugh. Starfire was the easiest, of course, with her light-hearted temperament and easy appreciation for his physical humor (though, as in this instance, he had to remember to tell jokes she'd understand). Cyborg tended to tune him out or groan but the changeling usually got a guffaw or two out of him for a particularly clever pun or innuendo. Raven laughed more at _him_ than at his jokes and tended to crack her occasional smiles only after personally inflicting some manner of pain on him, but he still considered those moments a success. Yeah it hurt but Raven's rare laughs were worth it. If he had to suffer for his craft he'd do so quite willingly.

Ditto Robin. Trying to make Robin laugh was like trying to wring humor from a stone some days—(it really surprised him that the same boy who spouted off cheesy puns before an attack could be so stiff and humorless at home)—but when he succeeded, it was _very_ satisfying.

Starfire regained her composure and clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Oh Beast Boy! You are truly very amusing!" she exclaimed.

He grinned faintly. "Heh. Glad you think so at least. You think you can convince Raven that?"

The Tamaranian shook her head. "I do not think Raven would admit to such a thing, even if I attempted to persuade her."

The changeling snapped his fingers. "Nuts. I really hate it when she plays hard-to-get."

They chuckled together a moment and then quieted.

Beast Boy moved over to the couch and hopped up to sit on the back of it. "You know," he said, "it's really nice out today. We should get the other Titans and go out to the park or something."

"That is an excellent idea!" Starfire gasped. "We could pack the picnic foods and engage in the 'touch football'." She joined Beast Boy by the couch and looked over the back to what was curled up on the cushions. "And Silkie could use the exercise."

The shape-shifter leaned over and poked the little grub in the stomach. Silkie chortled happily.

"Yeah, he looks like he's getting a bit pudgy." He hopped down from the couch. "Okay! You go get Robin. I'll see if I can find Cyborg and Raven."

Starfire nodded and, picking up her pet, floated out of the room.

-TT-

Beast Boy exited the elevator and made his way to the front door of the Tower, where Starfire was waiting, Silkie in her arms. The worm already had his collar and leash on and was gurgling with excitement. The changeling approached sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"So, um… Cyborg's busy doing something with the main computers and um… I couldn't actually find Raven," he confessed. Noting the absence of a certain Titan leader he reasoned, "No luck on your end either I'm guessing?" He lowered his hand. "Did Robin say he didn't want to come?"

Starfire shook her head. "He is sleeping at his desk," she said. "I thought it prudent not to wake him."

"Yeah, good idea. He needs the rest." Beast Boy hunched, reached over and tickled Silkie under the chin. "Guess it's just the three of us, huh Silkie?"

Silkie crooned.

Giggling, Starfire angled her body towards the front door. "Shall we depart?"

Beast Boy punched the security code and waved his alien friend out the opening door in a 'ladies first' gesture. A moment later the two were outside, Beast Boy had transformed into a crow, and the two were flying lazily through the air towards the mainland.

-TT-

The city park was somewhat crowded when they arrived, full of people taking advantage of the beautiful weather, like them. Families were playing catch with Frisbees and footballs, pet owners walked their dogs, and several children were up in the trees, climbing to comfortable perches for a good view of the area. Beast Boy and Starfire found a spot near an empty park bench, somewhat out of the way, and settled down. Starfire had brought a blanket and a picnic basket, packed with several very normal peanut-butter sandwiches, a plastic container containing something blue and purple that was probably one of her alien dishes, and of course, plenty of mustard.

The two Titans sat and stretched their legs out, munching their sandwiches and basking in the warm sunlight. Starfire stroked Silkie's head as the worm contentedly helped himself to some of her odd Tamaranian goop.

"Beast Boy?" she asked suddenly.

"Hrmm?" Beast Boy's mouth was currently full of sticky peanut butter so this was about the most coherent acknowledgement she was going to get.

"I have sometimes wondered… why exactly did you relinquish custody of Silkie over to me? You did not ask for him back after the battle with Killer Moth and you have expressed no desire to resume caring for him."

Beast Boy chewed furiously until he was able to swallow, then leaned back on his hands. "I dunno. He just seems a lot happier with you," he said. "Plus… he was kind of hard for me to handle," he admitted, grinning embarrassedly. "I think he was more responsibility than I was ready for at the time. He got out that one time 'cause I forgot to shut my door and he chewed up everything 'cause I hadn't been feeding him. So… yeah," he concluded. "You take much better care of him."

"I suppose that makes sense," Starfire admitted. She pulled Silkie into her lap and rubbed his back. He crooned, almost like how a cat would purr, and Starfire giggled. "He is surprisingly much calmer and more well-behaved than most of the other pets I have had."

Considering that Silkie was a giant mutated silkworm grown in a lab by an evil villain for the purpose of conquering the city and that some of his first actions had been to attack the Titans, chew up their Tower, and generally cause mayhem, Beast Boy didn't want to know what Starfire's _other_ pets did to make that seem tame in comparison.

"What kind of pets do Tamaranians have anyway?" he asked.

Starfire set down her mustard bottle. "Well, you have seen the Florskins that we keep around the royal palace."

"Is that what those were?"

Another giggle. "Yes. They do make for excellent sentries and they are fiercely loyal to their masters, however, they are quite dangerous when they are running loose, and have been known to kill Tamaranian guards on occasion," she told him. "There are also the Miltiks—these are used for the disposing of pests—and they are—" She stopped, her eyebrows scrunching. "I am… not quite sure how to describe them. I suppose they are closest to Earth cats in behavior and temperament, but their appearance is more reptilian, like that of—oh, what are they called?—that of…"

She trailed off again and looked at him helplessly.

Beast Boy tried to help and shifted into an iguana.

Starfire shook her head. "No, not that one."

He shifted into a gecko.

"That is it!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. "But much larger, about the size of earth alligators."

The changeling shifted back to human form, grinning. "Glad I could be of help," he said, saluting proudly.

"Yes, thank you," Starfire interjected before continuing her account. "Miltiks are rather surly and bad-tempered, and it is not wise to be in one's way while they are trying to hunt." She looked down with a subtle smile. "But they are most fun to ride," she said.

Beast Boy imagined a tiny Starfire clinging to the back of a giant green gecko as it ran through the hallways of the palace after mice (or whatever the Tamaranian equivalent of mice was). It was a bizarre mental image. Somehow it seemed natural for his alien teammate, though.

"What about you?"

The changeling snapped out of his daydream. "Huh?"

"Did you have any pets during your youth?" Starfire clarified.

"Not really. Well, I mean, I did have a dog once, while I was on the Doom Patrol. But Steve didn't really like him and I think he gave him away after I left."

Starfire gasped. "How terrible!"

"Nah, it's all right," Beast Boy dismissed. "I'm sure Rita made sure he went to a good family. Rita likes animals."

His alien teammate seemed relieved to hear that.

"Hey!" Beast Boy said, abruptly straightening up. "You wanna see if Silkie can do any tricks?"

He lifted Silkie off Star's lap and set the grub down on the picnic blanket. Flattening himself to the worm's eye level he encouraged, "Hey Silkie! Good Silkie, good boy, come on—"

He seized a stick that was on the ground nearby and threw it with all his might.

"Fetch!"

The stick bounced back down about twenty feet away but Silkie just sat where he was, staring in confusion from Beast Boy to the stick. If a worm could look perplexed, that was certainly the expression Silkie had now.

"Or… not," Beast Boy said, as Starfire fell back onto the blanket, laughing hard.

-TT-

The day drifted on into afternoon and people started trickling out of the park. Starfire got up and went to throw away their napkins and trash.

Beast Boy had given up on trying to make Silkie do tricks, and instead just played with him in cat form. The two tussled around on the grass, Beast Boy pawing at Silkie's head. Silkie squeaked his gurgling laugh, his antennae twitching every time the little green feline batted at them. It was fun for a while but then the changeling started to get bored. His mind wandered, and he wondered where Starfire was.

"WOOF!"

The green cat's eyes widened, the pupils shrinking into terrified pinpoints.

 _Ohhhh crud,_ Beast Boy thought.

He had just enough time to turn his head to see, from the corner of his vision, the enormous brown shape barreling towards him, before he let out a yowling shriek and bolted.

_Gaaaaahhh!_

The large dog snapped at his heels as it chased him. Beast Boy wasted no time and darted up the nearest tree, shifting back to normal as soon as he was a safe distance up, on a thick lower branch. Undeterred, the dog pawed and jumped at the trunk, snarling and barking loudly.

"Sit boy!" Beast Boy shrieked, clinging to his branch. "Down! Heel!"

No effect. The dog continued to pace and snuff determinedly at the base of the tree.

The changeling cringed, looking about anxiously for a way down. He found none. Naturally. Flashing a nervous grin down at the hound, he said, "Um… nice doggie?"

The dog growled and glared up at him with angry brown eyes, as if daring him to try to come down.

Beast Boy sat up on his branch and thought a moment. He needed to shape-shift out of this one. What would scare off a really big dog?

He smacked his palm on his temple as the idea came to him. "Duh!" He slid his legs over the branch and jumped down, morphing in mid-air. Four giant paws hit the ground and the next moment there was very large, very green tiger letting out an impressive roar in front of the dog that had been harassing him.

The dog yelped in terror, turned tail, and fled back to its owners, whining all the way.

Beast Boy resumed human form again and chuckled, pleased with himself for his quick thinking. He was just getting up and dusting off his pants when Starfire came rushing over.

"Beast Boy! Are you all right?" she asked worriedly. "I heard a horrible commotion as I was returning to you!"

"I'm fine," he waved her off. "Just had a little pet problem. Already taken care of."

"Oh," she said. She was quiet a moment, and then she looked around, searching their picnic area. She glanced back up at him. "Where is Silkie?"

Beast Boy's eyes shot to the blanket where they'd been sitting. The worm was nowhere to be seen. His stomach plummeted, a sick feeling churning up his insides.

"Oh no…" he breathed.

That was enough to make Starfire gasp and run towards the bushes behind their bench to search. "Silkiiiieeee!" she called.

Beast Boy crouched down and rummaged through the brush where he was, also calling Silkie's name. He tried to keep his spirits up.

 _He can't have gotten far,_ he told himself. _Come on he's a giant mutated silkworm,_ ** _someone's_** _going to see him…_

And aloud, when he reached Starfire's side, he put a hand on the anxious Tamaranian girl's shoulder, and sent her an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry Star. We'll find him. He's not gonna leave without his mommy."

She made an unsure sound, her eyes wrinkling worriedly.

-TT-

But the afternoon crept on into early evening. The sun was drifting lower to the horizon, the sky turned orange, the shadows were lengthening, and there was still no sign of Silkie.

Starfire had shouted herself hoarse. Her eyes were red from crying, and her cheeks were streaked with tear trails she was furiously rubbing away. She sat heavily on the park bench, sobbing, deflated of energy.

Beast Boy stood nearby, feeling helpless. Guilt hammered at him. Sure he'd been busy running for his life when he lost sight of Silkie but he still felt like he was to blame for the worm's disappearance.

_Robin is_ **_so_ ** _going to kill me…_

A fresh sob from Starfire brought him out of his self-depreciation. The alien girl was drying her hands on her skirt. "Oh I should not have left him alone!" she choked through her tight throat.

The changeling bit his lip and stepped up to her side to hold her shoulders comfortingly. "C'mon Star, don't say that," he scolded gently. "It was _my_ fault. I wasn't watching him. He probably got scared and ran off when that dog rushed at us."

Starfire wiped a finger under her eye, shaking her head. "I do not fault you for losing Silkie, Beast Boy," she whispered. "Please do not blame yourself."

"Yeah, well you shouldn't blame yourself either. These kinds of things just—" He started getting choked up. "—happen sometimes." Crud. _He_ was going to cry at this rate. Shaking himself, he patted Starfire's shoulder, and went to gather up the blanket and basket.

It was weird. He'd been over this area several times in bloodhound form and he'd never found a scent trail leading away from it. He folded up the blanket morosely. It was getting dark, and Starfire was exhausted. They needed to go home and rest up, and then start the search again in the morning. Maybe they'd print some flyers and post them up.

His keen ears suddenly picked up a small noise. He lifted his head, his eyes squinting, listening hard.

There it was again. It sounded like something yawning.

His eyes drifted to the picnic basket.

 _No way_ , he thought, scooting forward and grabbing the lid to open it up.

Silkie's smiling sleepy face looked up at him. The grub had been asleep in the basket the whole time.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, standing to his feet with the basket. He turned around and eagerly pushed the basket out towards Starfire. "Star! Star look!" he said, holding the flap open, the basket tilted so she could see inside.

She peered in curiously.

Silkie gave a happy gurgle upon seeing her face.

A strangled noise escaped her. "SILKIE!" she cried, lifting him out of the basket. He cooed at her, and she dissolved into a fresh round of hysterical sobbing, hugging her beloved pet close. Big wet tears splashed down her cheeks again, as she doubled over, clutching Silkie to her chest and wheezing.

Beast Boy stepped back and watched awkwardly. Was it his imagination or was she losing color?

"Uh… try to remember to breathe Star," he reminded.

She inhaled a great gasping breath. Her raspy sobs were now broken up by her breathless, hiccuping gulps for air. Beast Boy smiled and stuck the folded blanket back into the basket, then came and sat next to her on the bench, waiting patiently as Starfire regained control of her lung intake and composed herself.

Starfire eventually had cried herself out and her happy smile returned. She kissed and pet Silkie and crooned to him in Tamaranian.

" _Kelthanok ro bumgorf?_ Mmm? _Gorek rish, gorek rish._ "

Beast Boy guessed it was the usual assortment of gushing one usually bestowed upon pets.

Finally Starfire stood up. "We should return home now. It is late; the others may start to worry."

"Yeah…" Beast Boy agreed, getting up as well. He tucked the basket under his arm, picking bits of grass off it.

Starfire hugged him abruptly. Beast Boy blinked in confusion, his arms limply by his sides.

"Uh…"

"Thank you," she whispered. "For finding Silkie," she explained as she let go.

He ducked his head bashfully and shrugged. "Aww, it was no big deal. I really should have found him a lot earlier in fact."

"It is no matter," she dismissed. Cradling Silkie, she lifted a few feet off the ground and hovered there. "Come! It will be dinnertime soon, and we will be late if we linger." She held Silkie up and nuzzled her nose against his. "And you my _bumgorf_ are in need of a bath," she gushed.

"Heck, I could use one too," Beast Boy said, before morphing into a pterodactyl, the picnic basket in his claws.

Flapping, he joined Starfire in the air and the two of them flew back home.


	48. Holiday Handful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heh, timing was just about right for Christmas.

" _Tis the season to be jolly!"_ Beast Boy sang, slightly off key and far louder than Raven would have preferred. _"Fa la la la la, la la la la!"_

The empath rubbed her temples, grimacing. "Beast Boy," she groaned, "could you _please_ not do that?"

Grinning cheekily at her, Beast Boy just turned up the volume on the radio. "Come on Raven, it's Christmas. Where's your sense of holiday cheer?" He turned back to his task of hanging a long garland around the corners of the main room.

"Dried up in the bottom of the dumpster, with all my other feelings regarding holidays," Raven muttered darkly, clutching her tea cup tighter.

Ignoring her, Beast Boy just continued singing.

" _Don we now our gay apparel!"_

Raven squeezed her eyes shut, willing her frayed nerves not to snap.

" _Fa la la, la la la, la la laaaaa!"_

A vein in her forehead twitched.

" _Troll the ancient yuletide carol!"_

Raven growled, set her cup down, and stormed up behind the oblivious changeling, who was standing on a ladder set against the far right wall. Her hand raised, dark energy cackling around it.

Beast Boy didn't see her or the giant black talon coming for him until halfway through the last line. _"Fa la la la laaaa, la la_ —Ack!" he shrieked, his song cutting off as tendrils of midnight energy curled around him.

-TT-

"Don't get too far ahead!" Sarah called to the backs of her fellow carolers, a group of rambunctious five and six-year-olds from the class she helped with at the community kindergarten.

They shouted back their reassurances, even as a couple eager boys ran ahead to the next house.

Sarah laughed and brushed back a streak of her blonde hair as she hugged Cyborg's arm tighter. The two were both bundled up against the frigidly cold wind that had blown in over the weekend, cooling the entire city to a chill winter temperature.

"Anyway," Cyborg said, resuming the conversation they'd been having, "I don't really get the whole flak over 'Merry Christmas' versus 'Happy Holidays'."

"Yeah, me neither. I don't really care actually. But what annoys _me_ is when retailers label their blatantly obvious _Christmas_ decorations generic 'holiday' stuff. Like, they'll call their Christmas trees _holiday_ trees." She gesticulated agitatedly with her free hand to illustrate her frustration. "Who are you even kidding? _It's a freaking Christmas tree_. No one is gonna use them for a _different_ holiday!"

Cyborg smiled. "I dunno… Starfire sometimes finds a use for leftover holiday decorations and re-purposes them for Tamaranian festivals."

She considered that a moment. "Okay, so no one besides visiting aliens from different planets," she conceded.

"Say, did I ever tell you about the time Starfire first found out what mistletoe was for?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't think so."

"Oh it was _priceless!_ " he told her, gesturing. "Robin stammered a full minute before he could finally cough up an explanation, and then—to top it all off—when BB got wind of it he rigged every single doorway in the Tower with the stuff."

Sarah clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her guffaw. "No way!" she said in disbelief.

"Oh yeah. The gym, the bathrooms, the front door, our rooms… I was torching the demonic little sprigs for _days._ "

"What did Starfire do?" Sarah asked anxiously.

"What do you _think?_ " Cyborg replied, shaking his head. "I destroyed most of the mistletoe before it got out of hand… the pizza guy was really happy though."

Sarah giggled, imagining the scene. "And Robin?"

"Got very adept at climbing through windows."

By now they had rejoined their little circle of heavily-bundled children, waiting anxiously on the porch. Cyborg leaned forward and did the honors, ringing the doorbell. When the door opened, the couple led their carolers in a rousing rendition of "Sleigh Ride", to moderate applause from the tired-looking mother who listened with a faint smile on her face. When they were done they wished her "Merry Christmas" (and "Happy Holidays") and moved on down to the next house.

-TT-

The hustle and bustle of shoppers on their last-minute mall dashes moved like a well-organized network and trickle of ants. Stress, anxieties, and high emotion swirled all around her, beating at her empathic senses and reminding Raven exactly why she preferred to get all her Christmas shopping done early.

Unfortunately for her mental sanity, Robin had enlisted her help in finding a gift for Starfire.

The Boy Wonder looked as frazzled as most of the civilians as he sifted through a rack of blouses.

"Do you think she'd like any of these?" he finally asked her, moving out of the way and pointing to them.

Raven stared at the assortment of frilly pastel-colored tops, suspecting she knew about as much about the style, fashion, color, and fit of the garments as Robin did. Which was to say, nothing at all.

"They're nice," she said flatly.

Robin gave a frustrated groan and grabbed her wrist, pulling her off to another section of the store.

"Maybe I should get her something for Silkie…" Robin mumbled to himself, under his breath.

Raven let herself be dragged up and down the mall, alternately standing back and tapping her foot impatiently or else trying desperately to keep up with Robin and not lose him in the crowd, as he wove through the throngs of people. He disappeared from her sight once or twice and she had to close her eyes and concentrate on his empathic signature in order to find him again. If not for their mental bond he'd be nearly impossible to distinguish in the crowd of anxious minds, and restless bodies.

She finally lost sight of him for good outside the food court. Raven looked around hopelessly for a few moments before giving up. She used the opportunity to rest her feet, sitting down on one of the benches and cracking open her book. (She hadn't gotten a chance to put it down before Robin pried her out from her room and begged her into coming here.)

He found her a few minutes later, and glared icily at her.

"Where _were_ you?" he demanded.

"What? You seemed to be doing just fine on your own," Raven said, not looking up.

Robin sighed heavily. "Come on," he said, gesturing for Raven to follow.

Raven reluctantly shut her book and got up again.

Twenty minutes later and Robin had come no closer to finding a suitable present than when they had started. Raven was beginning to grow weary of the mall. She held her book with one hand and rubbed her temple with the other.

_I'm going to have_ ** _such_** _a migraine when we get home_ , she thought to herself tiredly.

Her leader paid no heed to her. He was looking between two jewelry counters, considering a bracelet in one and a pair of earrings in the other.

"No… no…" he muttered, moving off. "Too expensive."

He looked at a different section, thought for a long moment, and then beckoned to her.

"Which do you think suits her more, Raven? Green or blue?" he asked.

"I don't know," Raven replied wearily. "You're her boyfriend. You should know."

Robin threw up his hands. "Argh! You're no help at all!" he complained.

"Then why did you even bring me?" Raven shot back in a low grumble.

He ignored her, or he didn't hear her. Robin was, in fact, quite beyond the pale of desperation at this point, and Raven was almost certain if they didn't find something soon, the boy would just collapse from the stress and exhaustion.

The third time he paced out of the jewelry shop and back into it, she'd finally had enough.

"For the love of Azar, Robin, will you just _buy_ her something already?" she blurted.

Robin flinched, and stepped back out over the store's threshold again. "I'm sorry. It's just—" He yanked on the roots of his hair, flustered, the strain showing on his face. He put his hands down. "I really want to get her something special this year. It's our first Christmas together as an official couple. I… I just want her present to be perfect," he confessed to her, dropping his gaze to his steel-plated toes.

Raven rolled her eyes skywards in exasperation. "Robin, you could get Starfire a _paper bag_ and she would be happy with it. Because it's from _you_. _That's_ what matters to her," she told him.

His masked eyes lifted from the floor and looked up at her, hopeful. "You really think so?" he said.

The Azarathian tapped the side of her head. "The empathy doesn't lie." She frowned after a moment. "But don't get her a paper bag," she chastened him sternly.

"Huh? Oh, right."

Placing a hand on his shoulder she added, "Now would you please just _relax?_ You're going to give yourself a heart-attack if you keep this up."

To his credit, Robin made a concerted effort to calm himself down. He was still anxious about what to do for Starfire's gift—Raven could sense as much—but at least he wasn't as high-strung as he'd been before.

He exhaled a long breath, drained. "You're right. I'm sorry Raven. I'll just get her one of the rings so we can go—" He stopped. He was looking past her, over her shoulder, a contemplative expression on his face. He raised an index finger. "Hold that thought…" he said, moving by her.

"Where are you—?" Raven said, turning to see where he was headed. Her eyes trailed ahead to the store he was walking towards…

She stared blankly.

Neat blocky gold letters in the neon sign read: **Titans Tech: The Official Merchandise Emporium of the Teen Titans.**

"Oh you've _got_ to be kidding," Raven said in disbelief. But she followed Robin into the shop.

He went straight to the shelf on the back wall and, when she stepped up, showed her what he had in mind.

Raven gave a wry smile. "Okay, I'll admit it—that's adorable."

The Boy Wonder breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Raven," he said gratefully, tucking the things under his arm. He caught her up in an appreciative hug. "I'm really glad you were here."

"I won't make a habit of it," she drolled, returning the hug.

They parted. Robin paid for Starfire's Christmas present, and Raven crowed a mental yell of triumph as they departed, ignoring the sound of the register attendant squealing excitedly on the phone, "Ohmahgosh ohmahgosh you will _never_ believe who just left the store! The Titans! No really, honest to goodness two of the _real_ Titans!" to her unseen friend.

-TT-

"And Silkie wishes you the Merry Christmas as well!" Starfire gushed to the computer screen, which showed the girls of the Titans network, with whom she was currently in conference call with. She held the grub in her arms and waved one of his stubby feet at her friends.

"Happy Christmas, love," Argent said, wearing her customary holly wreaths in her hair.

" _Feliz Navidad!"_ chirped Pantha.

"We'll see y'all New Year's, Star," Bumblebee said, already reaching for the button on her end. She winked. "Can't wait for the party." Her feed cut out.

Starfire turned to another square. "Will you be coming, Wonder Girl?"

The raven-haired Amazon shook her head. "'fraid not Starfire. I'm really busy down here. But hey, come visit Themyscira sometime."

"I shall!" Starfire said, nodding enthusiastically.

"Nice chatting with all of you," Kole said, waving from her square.

"Ditto," Jinx piped up.

Starfire waved back. "Farewell my friends!"

Goodbyes were exchanged and then the feeds ended in rapid succession, until the screen was blank, and had resumed its normal function as a window. Starfire set Silkie down on the coffee table, and straightened the Santa hat positioned awkwardly on her head.

The door hissed, and Starfire looked up hopefully. She was in luck; it was Beast Boy, just the person she wanted to see. She stood and floated over to him, her hands clasped.

"Oh! Beast Boy?" she said, setting her feet down.

He smiled up at her. "Yeah Star?"

The Tamaranian princess looked down at her feet, shifting her weight sheepishly as she explained.

"I wish very much to catch Robin under the toe of mistle this year so… could you… perhaps…?"

She trailed off, blushing cutely pink.

Beast Boy saluted. "Way ahead of you sister!" He produced a cluster from his pocket (the Titans had long since given up trying to figure out where he got the stuff), stuck it in his mouth, and shifted into a chameleon. He skittered up the wall, and Starfire watched as he climbed to a prominent place above the doorway. Starfire was about to inquire if he needed any assistance but just then the door hissed open once more and the target of her affections, Robin himself, stepped in.

"Hey Star," he said, a smile brightening his features.

"Greetings," she replied coyly, putting her hands behind her back and scuffing her toe.

He held up a box wrapped in bright silver paper. "Got your Christmas present," he told her, grinning.

She giggled. "I have a few for you as well." Her hands were shaking nervously as she brought them to her front. Robin didn't seem to notice. He was rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze on the floor.

"Nearly drove Raven crazy trying to find it. Serves me right for waiting until the last minute," he was saying.

Starfire's eyes flicked up to where Beast Boy was stationed with the mistletoe. The chameleon gave her an encouraging wink. She straightened.

"I am sure I will be delighted with it."

"I hope so. I—" He didn't get a chance to finish; Starfire reached for him, grabbed his head, pulled him close, and planted one on him. He made a muffled squeak of surprise, dropping the package. He was frozen in place a moment, as Starfire kissed him, and then he closed his eyes, his hands drifting up to cup her face. They held each other for a long moment.

_Click._

Robin's eyes snapped open, and he and Starfire broke apart just in time to see Cyborg fleeing down the hallway. Robin stepped back, bewildered, then spotted the mistletoe in the doorframe and the small Polaroid clutched in the half-robot's hand. He put two-and-two together in an instant.

"Cyborg!" he roared as he gave chase.

Starfire giggled to herself, and floated back to the couch.

"Thank you Beast Boy!" she called to the chameleon.

Beast Boy chirred a 'you're welcome'.

-TT-

A delicious smell wafted around the kitchen. Cyborg hummed a cheerful made-up cooking theme to himself as he prepared his traditional green-bean casserole.

"Smells great," a raspy monotone told him. He glanced up to see Raven, who inclined her head at the dish. "That for us?" she asked.

"Sadly no." He closed up the oven, and slipped the oven mitts off his hands. "It's for Sarah's volunteer group." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "The ladies are counting on me to provide sustenance for them while they're busy signing cards to mail to overseas troops."

Raven leaned her elbows on the counter. "You should really invite her over to spend Christmas with us."

Cyborg looked askance at her. "You serious?"

She shrugged. "Why not? If her family doesn't mind us borrowing her for a few hours…"

"No I mean, y'all would really be cool with that?" he clarified.

"Well, you'd have to run it by Robin and clear it with him first but I don't think I'd mind."

Cyborg narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're just hoping she'll tell you more embarrassing stories about me."

She smirked. "Guilty as charged."

He untied his apron with a sigh. "I'll bring up the topic when I drop off the casserole. Personally I hope she brushes us off," he said, glaring pointedly at the empath. He leaned back and rubbed his chin, taking a quick inventory of his dishes. "Let's see, I've got the casserole, the potato salad, the beans and chili…" he recounted. His eyes widened suddenly and he gasped. "I forgot to put the chili in my special thermal pot!" he cried.

He tossed his apron on the counter and skidded out from the kitchen. Before he reached the door he turned around.

"Don't… _touch_ anything," he pleaded, waving his hands.

Raven crossed her arms impassively.

Cyborg whirled back around and dashed out the door, immediately bowling over Beast Boy. The half-robot didn't stop as the shape-shifter fell back heavily on his rear. Raven started and rushed forward to see if he was okay.

Beast Boy rubbed his nose gently. "Ow."

Raven held out her hand to help him up. "You okay?" she asked.

He accepted her hand, and pulled himself to his feet. "I've had worse." He looked past her to the kitchen. "Smells really good."

"It's not for us," Raven explained.

He snapped his fingers disappointedly. "Nuts."

Raven was looking above their heads in horror. "Beast Boy?" she said. "Don't… don't look up."

He squinted at her in confusion, as he proceeded to do exactly that. "Why, what's—" He stopped short, seeing what she was seeing.

The changeling had forgotten, after the display with Robin and Starfire, to take the mistletoe down from the doorframe.

"…Oh," he voiced inadequately, his voice cracking a little.

They both stared at the very innocent-looking plant a long… _long…_ moment.

Beast Boy peeled his eyes off the mistletoe and dropped them down to Raven. Her eyes flicked down almost the same instant.

They looked away.

Awkward.

They stood in silence. Beast Boy coughed into his hand.

"I should… I should really, uh… get that down," he stammered.

"Right," Raven agreed.

A pause.

Neither of them moved.

Raven's face was bright red as she inched closer to Beast Boy. She screwed up her nerve, leaned in and planted a quick peck on his cheek, very brief, very fleeting, but she blushed harder all the same afterwards. Then she took hold of the mistletoe with her telekinesis, surrounding it in a ball of dark matter, and extremely gingerly lowered it down into the changeling's hands.

He held it like it was a bomb about to go off, blushing very red himself.

Raven cleared her throat and pointed a finger at him.

"We _never_ speak of this again."

He nodded numbly. "Sure thing," he squeaked.

Raven brushed a strand of purple hair behind her ear and made a hasty escape out of the room.

-TT-

The big day had almost arrived; it was Christmas Eve and Cyborg was in the kitchen once again, this time baking cookies for the Titans (and Santa of course). Starfire was watching with rapt attention, fascinated by the process, as she always was. The other Titans were present as well, Robin at one of the computers busily tapping away in search of something, and Beast Boy and Raven sitting on the couch together… though as far away from each other as the cushioned piece of furniture allowed. Cyborg thought this was rather odd, even for them, but didn't call attention to it. He poured the batter out into a larger bowl, setting the smaller one aside.

Starfire looked as though she would almost burst. "Do you require assistance with anything?" she questioned earnestly.

"No, I've got everything pretty much covered," he dismissed, waving her off.

"May I please help?" she pressed insistently. "I would very much like to bake the cookies too."

Cyborg cringed. "I don't think that's a good idea—" he began, but Robin interrupted him, appearing suddenly behind the counter at Starfire's side.

"Sure you can help him Star," he told her, a smug grin on his face. "And then maybe you should whip up some of _your_ favorite holiday dishes." He looked pointedly at Cyborg and emphasized his words with an evil glee. "Like your _gruntmeg_. Or your _Sentaran bug jelly._ "

The half-robot gaped in horror at Robin and then his eyes darkened and he lowered his voice.

"All right, what do you want?" he demanded.

The smirk dropped from Robin's face instantly and he scowled, his eyes narrow. "I want the picture you took of us under the mistletoe _off_ the mass e-mail we're sending to the Titans network and the JLA."

"Aww _man!"_ Cyborg protested, his face squinching up. "Come on—it's not like everyone doesn't already know you two are a thing."

"As a matter of fact, everyone does _not_ already know," Robin said, his arms crossed in front of his chest in his usual stern manner. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

Cyborg placed his hands on the counter. "What do I get out of it in return?" he negotiated.

"You can keep the original picture," Robin told him.

Cyborg looked uncertain.

"And Sarah can come over for Christmas."

The cybernetic teen rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Do it or I'll let Starfire have free reign of the kitchen," Robin growled.

The older boy glared at him with a tranquil fury.

"You drive a mean bargain you evil little punk."

Robin just stared back coolly.

"Done," Cyborg acquiesced. He raised his arm and accessed the Titan mainframe. A few scrolls and clicks later and it was taken care of. "There. Happy now?" Cyborg grouched. "HEY!"

Starfire jumped and looked up from where she'd been pressing the cookie cutters into the dry batter. "I am sorry!" she squeaked, quickly dropping the tree-shape. "I assumed that it was the next step in the process," she explained.

Cyborg looked to Robin helplessly, who just sat down on a stool calmly.

"What? I'm not going to stop her."

The half-robot sighed. "All right Star, you can help." He took her hands and stared seriously into her eyes. "But you have to do _exactly_ what I say to do all right?"

She nodded eagerly.

-TT-

Christmas morning dawned gray, but bright. Beast Boy woke up the earliest, at the _very_ robust four in the morning (the other Titans never could understand why getting out of bed was so difficult for him the rest of the year), but because Robin had ordered him beforehand not to wake the others until the sun was up, at least, the changeling had several excited hours to himself in which to run around the Tower.

At seven, with the eastern sky turning orange and his impatience at its peak, Beast Boy decided he'd let the Titans sleep in long enough.

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP!" he bellowed to rouse them as he banged on each of their doors. "IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Various half-asleep grumbles answered him from behind Raven and Cyborg's doors. Robin gave a groan and muttered something along the lines of, "Go away Beast Boy." Only Starfire actually opened her door, blinking sleepily but smiling.

With her help and encouragement, Beast Boy eventually managed to get all the Titans up and out of bed.

-TT-

The five of them (plus Sarah) were gathered in the common room around the tree. Cyborg took charge of organizing the distribution of presents and also provided everyone with a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate. Raven and Sarah chatted amiably with each other when it wasn't their turn to unwrap. Beast Boy sat fairly nearby them on the floor.

He and Raven were still a little fidgety around each other but some of the awkwardness from yesterday had worn off. Raven still ducked her head and averted her eyes when the changeling passed her gifts up to her.

"This uh… this one's from me," Beast Boy told her, flushing slightly and staring down at his feet as he handed Raven a crudely wrapped, squishy-looking package.

She took it, tore off the holly-patterned paper. Her eyes blinked wider. It was a fuzzy wool blanket, dark blue, and _very_ soft.

"Wow…" she said.

Beast Boy scratched his ear. "Yeah, well… you mentioned you'd been getting cold at night so… I thought, you know…"

A smile touched her lips. "That was really thoughtful of you Beast Boy," she said, meeting his eyes. "Thanks," she told him sincerely.

He beamed at her.

The awkwardness vanished after that, which was good because even Sarah was starting to pick up on it and had almost whispered _Okay seriously… is there something going on between you two? Because I'm picking up some unresolved tension but I don't want to be presumptuous_ in Raven's ear.

Starfire, meanwhile, had chosen to snuggle up next to Robin on the couch, which he very much liked, though it didn't help his nervousness when it came time for Starfire to open his gift.

As it was though, he needn't have worried.

She gave a gasp as she lifted the lid of the box, uncovering two tiny plush figures of herself and Robin. The miniature stuffed Boy Wonder and Tamaranian princess wore matching yarn-stitched smiles and had magnets sewn into their hands and faces, so that you could make them kiss or hold hands when you brought them together.

" _Awwwwww!_ " she squealed when she picked them up and discovered this. "Oh Robin, how _precious!_ " she gushed, hugging them tightly to her chest, then shifting them both to one arm and hugging the life-size flesh and blood Robin.

He blushed, but looked very pleased with himself.

Beast Boy looked back and forth from the plush Robin and Starfire to the real ones.

"Dude, meta," he commented.

Cyborg took another picture.

Robin shot a glare at him. "Cyborg—" he warned.

"Come on, I can't help it," the half-robot said innocently. "Y'all are adorable." At Robin's continued annoyed look he put up his hands. "I'm not putting this one on the internet either," he promised, giving a broad smile. (He neglected to mention that he planned on anonymously mailing copies of both pictures to the tabloids.)

The Titans' leader simmered down.

After all the presents had been unwrapped, Cyborg commandeered the kitchen to fix a lavish Christmas lunch, and Robin shut himself in his room to make a private call to Bruce and Alfred.

The afternoon was spent watching and laughing at cheesy Christmas specials on TV.

"Merry Christmas, Star," Robin said to his girlfriend.

She leaned on his shoulder, the plushies in her lap.

"Merry Christmas," she murmured.


	49. Girlfriends Past and Present

Someone was rapping lightly on the doorframe to his room. Cyborg looked up from his book, and turned around in his seat to find Raven standing in the open doorway, silhouetted in the light from the hall.

"Am I interrupting anything important?" she asked.

"Sort of?" Cyborg replied, grimacing uncertainly. "Reaching a really bad cliff-hanger in the middle of the climax counts as important, right?"

"Fair point," she conceded. She leaned against the frame, crossing her arms. "At any rate, your girlfriend's here."

Cyborg got up from his seat. "Well now _that's_ different," he said, a dopey grin appearing on his face.

"I figured," Raven quipped back dryly, turning back to the hall. "You'll be pleased to know, Sarah, that your boyfriend has his priorities straight," she called to someone out of sight.

The familiar laughter of his girlfriend sounded and then Sarah herself appeared in the doorway. "That's good to hear," she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

He stepped up to her, placing his hands on her upper arms and leaning down for a kiss. "Hey beautiful," he cooed as he pulled back.

"I'll just be off then," came Raven's voice. The empath smirked as she headed off. "Have fun you two."

Cyborg watched her leave for a brief moment, and then faced Sarah with a smile. "So… to what do I owe this unexpected-but- _very_ -welcome pleasure?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought it would be nice to hang out today."

"All right," Cyborg said, moving back towards his bench. "Just let me put away a few things and then we'll hit the city."

"Okay."

Cyborg gathered up his book, diagnostic pads, and several game cartridges on the table and bustled to the various corners of the room putting them away. He made sure his bookmark was securely holding his place as he slid the novel back into his bookshelf. Captain Solomon and his intrepid crew of adventurers would wait until later. He stacked the game cartridges on top of the line of books, brushed the dust off his hands, and turned around.

Sarah was hovering near the shelf in the right corner of his room, closest to the door. She stood with her hands clasped quietly behind her, gazing over the assortment of photographs and mementos. A few trophies from his high school years. An album with news clippings of his favorite Titan battles. And a short row of framed pictures, of him and all the women he'd loved. (Or dated at least.) He glanced down the row of photos. His first girlfriend, Katie, at the sophomore homecoming game. Him and Jinx at the HIVE's Sadie Hawkins dance. Cyborg watched from across the room as his current romantic partner looked quizzically at the pictures, feeling slightly awkward. Would she react badly to him keeping reminders of his previous relationships?

She didn't seem to mind. She picked up the photo with Jinx and giggled.

" _What_ are you wearing?" she asked.

He ducked his head sheepishly as he came over to hold the picture frame with her. "Ah _that_ …" he explained, embarrassed and nostalgic. "I had to borrow that. Didn't exactly bring formalwear with me when I went undercover." At her inquisitive look, he elaborated. "This was taken during my investigation of HIVE Academy—It's kind of like a high school for villains. That's Jinx. She and I kinda… crushed on each other a little during my brief stay," he admitted.

"I remember," Sarah told him. "She was the one who broke up our Valentine's date that one time."

"Ugh. Don't remind me," Cyborg said, burying his face in his hands.

She touched a hand to his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. We got back together."

He made a disconcerted, unsure grumble. "Yeah, but that was still the worst Valentine's Day ever."

Sarah screwed up the side of her mouth. "No argument there." Changing the subject, she pointed up at one of the clippings pinned to the wall above the shelf. "So does it ever get awkward between you two now that she's a Titan?"

Cyborg set the picture of him and Jinx down. "Not really," he admitted. "At least not since she started dating Kid Flash. She _does_ like to bring it up on occasion though, to tease him and poke fun of me. And to troll the other Titans," he added, making a chagrined face. "Mostly with fabricated and salacious stories about making out in the broom closets at HIVE Academy."

Sarah let out a bright peal of laughter, and then quickly covered her mouth at Cyborg's ruffled expression. "Sorry," she said through her fingers. "I was just imagining Jinx at a table sipping her drink and casually telling a roomful of Titans all sorts of fake lurid X-rated things about your relationship."

"Led to some pretty embarrassing interrogations from Robin I'll tell you that." He glanced from side to side as if checking for unwanted listeners and then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "In reality we never made it out of the crush stage and couldn't have been more awkward _dorks_ about the whole thing. Jinx doesn't want anyone to know."

She giggled, then turned her attention to another picture in the row.

"And… who's this one?"

His eyes flitted to the framed photocopy of the illustration from Raven's book, and Cyborg's heart gave a pang.

"Sarasim."

His voice strained with emotion as he said her name. He had only known her a few days—such a short time really—but his heart still _ached_ when he thought of her, remembered her warm smile and dark hair, and the fierce light that came into her eyes during battle. He remembered his desire to protect her… and how he'd never gotten to say goodbye.

He had loved her, if only for a brief time.

Sarah seemed to guess that the topic was a sensitive one, and so only commented lightly, "She's pretty."

"Yeah…" Cyborg murmured absently. He shook his head, coming back to the present, and said, "Yeah, uh… I knew her for a short while a year back or so. She and I hit it off pretty well."

"Is there an explanation for the Conan-wear?" asked Sarah, raising a curious eyebrow. "Was she an actress or something?"

"Uh, no, she was actually the leader of a primitive warrior clan in 3000 B.C." At Sarah's baffled look he added quickly, "It involves a cackling subversive witch using magical time travel to call me out of the future because the village's main egotistical jerk wanted to be the best champion around. It's a long story."

"You'll have to tell it to me sometime," Sarah quipped, turning back to the shelf.

The next couple pictures on the row were all dedicated to her. There was a picture of her and Cyborg at the carnival on the pier. One of her and Cyborg dressed up for Halloween. One of her standing at a railing overlooking the bay with a hand over her face as if she was embarrassed to be having her picture taken, and right next to it a similar shot, only with her properly smiling into the camera this time. Something behind the photos caught her attention and she squealed excitedly.

"Aww! You kept it!" she gushed, picking up a crude construction-paper drawing one of her daycare children had done. Squiggly crayon depictions of her and Cyborg—with matching big smiles—held fingerless hands under a lopsided rainbow.

Cyborg grinned. "'course. It's one of the best pictures of us I have." The smile faded from his face and he asked her anxiously, "You don't think all this is weird do you?" He waved a hand to indicate the picture-row of previous and current girlfriends.

"I think it's sweet," she told him honestly, setting the crayon-drawing back down.

Relieved, Cyborg took her hands. "That's good," he said. He looked into her eyes with a sincere expression. "I don't want you to think these pictures are about conquests or trophies or anything like that. All these girls… _meant_ something to me," he told her. "And you mean something to me." He ducked his head, bashful. "You mean a _lot_ to me," he amended. "Even if we break up, I'll remember you _very_ fondly." After a moment, he added, "Not that I'm planning on breaking up with you anytime soon."

"That's good to know." Sarah giggled, taking his wrist and tugging him towards the door. "So are we going to stand around all day?"

He intertwined their fingers with a smile and led her out into the hall. "Let's go make some more memories," he said.

He flicked the light switch off as he passed, dimming the room until the only illumination was the light from the hallway, glinting white off the glass and picture frames.


	50. Nighttime Comforts

_In his dream, Robin was running._

_His lungs burned and his side ached with a painful stitch. His breaths were short and insufficient. But he couldn't stop. If he stopped, the shadow behind would_ —

_A blow slammed into his back, and Robin cried out as he was knocked forward onto the ground. Before he could move a knee was pressing into the small of his back and his right arm had been wrenched behind him. Terrifyingly familiar leather-gloved hands pinned his wrist between his shoulder blades._

" _Aaah!" Robin screamed, as sharp lancing pain shot up through his arm._

" _Not trying to run away are you, apprentice?" Slade's voice said from somewhere above him._

_Robin bit his lip against the pressure on his arm, and struggled without any leverage to get up. "Let go!" he shouted._

" _Hmm… I don't think I will," Slade mused thoughtfully. His tone grew harsher. "Not until you've learned your lesson, apprentice."_

" _Stop calling me that!" Robin snapped, desperately trying to break Slade's hold. "I'm not your apprentice!"_

" _Aren't you?"_

_Something pulled him to his feet. Robin lashed out behind him but there was no longer anyone there. Bewildered, he looked around, only for his breath to catch in horror as he glanced down and saw that he was wearing his old apprentice uniform. Frantically he ripped off the metal vambraces. They fell to the floor with a metal crash and Robin's fingers fumbled under his collar for the latch. He managed to unhook it and then tossed the collar away._

_He gasped. The vambraces were back on his arms. He put his hands up to his neck and felt that, even though he'd_ **_just_ ** _thrown it away, his collar was back on too._

_Panicking, Robin pulled at the metal pieces of his uniform, but now they would not come off. He stumbled, gave up, and just started running again. He sprinted down a hall, turned the corner, found himself in a large room with clanking metal gears and pipes that let off steam. Recognizing the main room of the haunt he turned back around, but the hallway had vanished._

" _No…" he breathed._

_Slade's laughter echoed loudly all around the haunt. Robin clapped his hands over his ears, trying to block it out._

_He had to get out of here. He could see Slade standing on the dais in front of his throne but the villain wasn't doing anything. He was just looking at him from across the room. Robin glanced towards a door at the far side. Maybe if Slade didn't move, he could make a break for it._

_He broke into a run and started for the door but it was like everything was in slow motion and he was moving through molasses. It seemed incredibly difficult to put his feet down, and when he checked to his right he saw with dismay that Slade was moving towards him, slowly, his hand outstretched. Robin looked forward now, searching. Where was the door?_

_He tripped suddenly. His momentum sent him sprawling to the ground. It was easier to move now and he scrambled up, willing himself not to look back at Slade._

_Dark vine-like tendrils sprouted from the floor at his feet. His ankles were tangled in an instant. Robin flailed about as the tendrils curled around his legs, snapped around his wrists and waist. His heart pounded. Again his eyes sought for the door._

_Part of the upper level of the haunt was now a huge stone hand, spread palm-up. Above it he could see the ceiling of the underground chamber beneath the old library. And Raven was there, floating in the center, surrounded by glowing red rings of energy. What was she—?_

No, _Robin thought. She couldn't be! Not again!_

" _Raven, stop!" he shouted, struggling to free himself from the tendrils._

_Too late. The towering red figure of Trigon appeared in the room, grinning maliciously. Red energy streamed out from him in all directions, burning away the haunt. Hot, dry wind gusted all around Robin, who put his arms up to shield himself. The tendrils had gone, he noted dully._

_He blinked. Red sky, red clouds, crumbling gray stones and statues littered everywhere… He was looking at the ruined Jump City under Trigon's reign. He stumbled back. He put his hand on one of the stone statues and yelped as it crumbled into rubble at his touch._

_He could feel the eyes of twenty or so other statues on him, pinning him with looks of hatred and accusation. Robin backed up uneasily as the nearest statue watched him. Its mouth opened._

" _YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT_ _—" poured out in an unholy scream._

_Fear shot straight to Robin's heart, and he turned and fled. A chorus of, "_ _—YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT_ _—" followed behind him. All the statues were screaming it now. He couldn't get away from them._

_Robin blundered into walls as he ran, scraped the metal plates of his uniform on the stone, not caring where he went, just trying to get far, far away from the horrible screaming. It only seemed to grow louder the more he ran. He skidded around a corner and halted for a moment, leaned a hand against the wall, exhausted, catching his breath. The shrieking chant rang continuously in his ears, louder than ever. Robin sank to his knees. A moan of despair escaped his lips._

" _—YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT_ _—"_

_Robin squeezed himself into a niche in the wall, pressing his hands over his ears._

" _Shut up… Shut up!" he hissed._

_Slade's voice rose lazily above the din. "Everything is always your fault, Robin," he said. "Including this."_

_Robin's head snapped up. Slade stood there down the street, his thumb poised above the button of a familiar control strapped to his wrist, and behind him were the four other Titans, seemingly unaware. As Robin watched with fresh horror rising up his throat, Slade's thumb descended and the screams of the other Titans filled his ears, and their figures twisted in pain and fell to the ground._

" _NO!" He sprang up, shot across the distance, scrambling over the debris in his way. He had to get to them._

_Their bodies twitched and writhed, electricity sparking through them. They seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Starfire was closest to him; when she looked up, relief flashed over her face, and she seemed to be trying to fly to him._

" _Starfire!" he called._

_His hand clasped hers just as she was suddenly yanked back. She yelped. Robin was nearly jerked off his feet. He braced his body, planted his soles firmly, reached up with his other hand as well pulling her back from the iron grip of the dark tendrils, which had returned and were now around her._

_Her eyes were glowing. Her face twinged with pain from the tendrils squeezing the life out of her, the electricity arcing through her body. "Robin!" she gasped helplessly. "It hurts!"_

_Robin panted with the effort of holding onto her. He paid a quick glance to the side towards the other Titans and felt the pit of his stomach drop out as they dissolved into dust before his eyes._

_His hands gripped tighter to Starfire's. His eyes met hers desperately._

" _Stay with me! It's going to be okay!" he said frantically, hysteria edging into his voice. The world around them was a dark warehouse now, and the tendrils were dragging her from him even more forcefully._

" _Do not let go!" she begged him._

" _I won't, just hang on!" he told her. But her hand was slipping, his grip was weakening and he couldn't hold her forever. "Hang on_ _—" Her hand was pulled from his grasp. "STARFIRE!"_

_The tendrils bore her back into the darkness. He didn't even have time to reach for her; the floor gave way beneath him and he was falling into the black._

_The wind rushed through his ears. Below him he could see a round patch of floor illuminated by a single white spotlight. The bodies of a man and a woman lay sprawled there, and a child knelt between them, crying, and he fell through the air to join them…_

-TT-

Robin gave a sharp gasp as his eyes snapped open. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. The events of the nightmare hung fresh in his mind, replaying in terrifying detail.

Then he felt the soft sheets and the pillow beneath him, the warm blanket covering his back, and his heart rate slowly, slowly started coming back down to normal. Robin exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.

_It was a dream… it didn't happen… it wasn't real…_

Just a dream.

Robin rolled over from his side onto his back, and slowly sat up. He was covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat; it made his nightclothes stick to him uncomfortably, and it chilled him despite the humidity of Tower. He pinched the front of his shirt, peeling the cotton fabric from his skin. Normally he would've just worn his uniform to bed, but it had felt too stuffy and stifling tonight. A massive heat wave had recently hit Jump City—even the Tower's top-of-the-line A/C wasn't completely effective at holding the heat at bay. Amid the roiling temperatures and scorching sun, crime had plummeted to a record low, the usual low-life crooks choosing to spend the days inside staying cool, with the rest of the populace. After three stagnant, sweaty nights of patrolling empty streets Robin had decided the gesture was useless while the heat wave lasted, and only made them all miserable. So he'd given the Titans the night off. (Canceled all their training sessions even, which had made Cyborg and Beast Boy goggle at him, wondering if the heat had gotten to him and addled his brains.)

He sighed.

Too bad his nightmares wouldn't take the night off.

Robin rubbed a hand down the side of his face, pushing damp strands of hair out of his eyes. His stomach still felt queasy from the way the Titans' bodies had just… _dissipated_ like that in his dream. It had all been preceded by a horrible shuddering, and then their eyes rolled back and their mouths gaped open and then… ugh…

Sometimes he hated his subconscious for being so morbid. But then again he guessed it just came naturally from being raised in Gotham. You got used to hellish imagery.

Didn't make it any more fun though.

He put his face in his palms wearily, running his fingers up through his hair. And then of course Slade just _had_ to make an appearance. That wasn't a surprise either; Slade had been a reoccurring character in his dreams a long time now, near-constant in his nightmares ever since the apprenticeship.

Even after all this time it still scared him. _Slade_ still scared him.

He dropped his hands to his lap. His throat was dry and parched and he was thirsty, whether from the heat or from sweating in his sleep he didn't know. Robin shuffled, lifted the covers off, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His knees shook slightly as he stood to his feet. He rubbed a tight muscle in his shoulder as he made his way out into the hall.

 _Must've been lying on it wrong_ , he thought. It was the only part of him that ached. His legs and back felt perfectly fine; all the running he'd done in his dream had had no effect upon his waking body.

The carpet crunched softly under his bare feet as he walked, and faint puffs of cool air from the A/C brushed his face on occasion. The bathroom was closer, but it didn't stock any ice, so Robin continued on to OPS and punched the button to let himself in.

To his surprise he found someone already there, seated at the kitchen table. It was Starfire, dressed in loose, comfortable pajamas like him, her hands cupped around a steaming mug. She looked up upon his arrival.

"Oh! Hello Robin," she greeted brightly.

Robin rubbed a bit of grit from his eye. "Star?" he said, blinking sleepily at her. "What are you doing up?"

Starfire turned slightly in her seat, in order to better face him. "I could not get to sleep," she told him, shaking her head. "Silkie still has that terrible cold and his snoring is most… disruptive." She put her mug up to her lips. "And you?" she asked over the rim.

He pointed towards the cabinets. "Came for a glass of water."

She perked up. "Shall I fetch it for you?" she offered helpfully.

"Nah, that's okay. I got it," he told her, sending her a faint smile as he crossed to the kitchen. "But thanks anyway."

She smiled in return and turned back to the table.

Robin opened one of the cabinet doors, his eyes scanning the shelves for the glasses. Finding them, he reached in for one.

He hesitated, catching sight of a bottle of sleeping pills on the other side of the shelf. Raven had given it to him, ages ago, to help him sleep… but truth be told he hated using them, and avoided it whenever possible, partly because he was too stubborn, but also because he didn't want to have to depend on pills for a decent night's sleep. The bottle was still mostly full. He couldn't remember the last time he took any of the pills. He stared at the bottle a long moment, contemplating.

Would it help to dull his nightmares?

"Robin? Is everything all right?" Starfire's voice piped up from behind him.

He stirred from his thoughts, and straightened.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine. I just zoned out for a moment there," he said.

He left the bottle where it was and closed the cabinet door. He just needed a drink, that was all.

Fetching ice from the freezer, Robin filled his glass with water from the tap. Shutting the faucet off, Robin tilted the glass to his lips and took a long gulp. The cold trickling water felt wonderful loosening up his dry throat. Robin swallowed and then wiped his mouth, before shuffling over to join Starfire at the table.

She set down her own drink and watched him pull out a chair and sit down. Her eyes squinted and her head tilted curiously at him.

"You are not wearing your mask," she exclaimed in light surprise.

Robin's hand immediately lifted up to touch his eyes. Feeling the exposed bare skin there he gave a short, jittery laugh. "Guess not," he said, playing it off with a smile.

Starfire frowned, gazing at him worriedly. She'd seen his eyes before but… it wasn't usually like Robin to forget his mask so blithely. "Are you _certain_ you are okay, Robin?" she asked him. "You seem a little—oh what is the phrase?—'out of it'?"

Robin's lips pressed together grimly as he cupped the cold glass in his palms.

He leveled with her.

"Bad dream," he explained. "Woke me up."

"Oh," she voiced in understanding. "I see." Her hand crept across the table to take one of his, and hold it comfortingly. "Was it… very terrible?" she asked.

"I've had worse," he said in glum humor. "But it definitely wasn't one of my favorites."

"What was it about?" she pressed.

He shrugged. "The usual assortment of things," he divulged, casually nudging his glass to the side. "Being trapped as Slade's apprentice again… watching the Titans die…" His voice dropped lower and his gaze drifted off. "…losing you…" he whispered.

Her hand gave his a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Is there anything I could do to help ease your mind?" she asked. Her eyes lit with an idea and she hopped up from her seat. "Perhaps I could make the warm milk and the cookies!"

"No, just…" His eyes dropped closed and he leaned towards her, resting his ear against her stomach. "…just hold me for a while," he implored her quietly.

Starfire stepped closer to his chair and wrapped her arms around his head and shoulders. She held him to her chest like this for a long quiet moment, cradling him gently and stroking her fingers through his hair and down his back. Robin exhaled deeply, feeling his anxiety leaving, as Starfire's warm embrace surrounded him with a sense of comfort and security. She let him lean against her, and pet his hair, and rocked him softly in her arms.

They stayed that way for several minutes. Robin's nerves settled, his lingering agitations and fears brought on by the nightmare melted away… and he was calm.

He gave a low, contented hum.

Starfire giggled and let go, promptly sinking back down into her chair.

"Thank you," Robin murmured.

She just beamed at him and picked up her mug again.

Robin took another mouthful of his water and leaned back against his seat. He swirled the contents of the glass idly, making the ice clink against the sides.

"Starfire?" he piped up hesitantly. "You don't think… the reason Trigon was able to get into our world… was my fault, do you?"

"Robin!" she cried, appalled. "That is a horrible thing to say! Why would you ever blame yourself for that?"

His mouth twisted dismally. "Because I blame myself for everything." His parents' deaths, getting trapped in the apprenticeship, inhaling the dust, Terra… he had faulted himself at least once for all of it. Probably why guilt was such a prominent part of his nightmares.

Starfire sighed heavily. "I wish you would not." She reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Robin, you are not at fault for everything bad that happens to us. Trigon's invasion was because of Trigon's actions alone, not yours," she told him sternly.

His head ducked shamefully. "I know." He did, really, his rational side always said so whenever he was beating himself up for something, but he was never fully reassured until one of his friends said it aloud.

"This was brought on by your nightmare?" Starfire guessed, withdrawing her hand.

He nodded, lifting his glass. "Yeah."

"That does make the sense," Starfire mused, tapping her mug with her fingers. "My worst dreams play upon my deepest fears as well."

Robin swallowed some more water and asked, "What sort of things do you see? Or… would you rather not say?"

"It is fine," she assured him, waving a hand. "Usually I see Tamaran being razed, or the Citadel laying waste to Earth, or my sister selling me to the Gordanians." She traced a circle on the table with her index finger. "Sometimes I dream I have been captured by Psions—they are a race that works for the Citadel—and they are performing experiments upon me. Mostly I just dream of them cutting me open."

Robin had a slightly more difficult time swallowing his water that round. He pressed a fist to his throat as he managed to get it down. "And I thought I had a morbid subconscious," he droned, gaping at her.

Starfire gave a nonchalant shrug. "It is a legitimate concern for many of my people." She looked down at the table, and squeezed her mug tightly. "Though, truthfully… my least favorite dreams are when I am lost, and cannot find any of you."

"I know that feeling…" Robin sighed. He polished off his glass and then scooted the chair back and stood to his feet. "Thanks again for listening, Starfire. It really helps."

"I am glad," she said, jumping up quickly and hugging him. "I hoped there was something I could do to raise your spirits."

He patted her back and smiled. "Well, you certainly did that." He pulled back, picking up the empty glass and sending Starfire a grin. "You're better than my therapist."

She laughed bashfully at that, and averted her face, touching a hand to her cheek shyly.

Robin deposited his glass by the sink, and called back over his shoulder. "Are you going to bed after you finish?"

"I will try," she promised, clasping her hands behind her.

"Okay," he acknowledged. "Don't stay up too late." He turned and headed across the carpet to the door, waving at her as he passed. "See you in the morning, Starfire."

"Sleep well, Robin," came her goodbye as he walked through the parting electronic doors.

His bed was welcomingly warm as he fell into it. Robin moved the blanket around as he settled himself. He looked over and checked the top of his dresser to remind himself where his mask was, for when he needed it in the morning. Satisfied, he sunk his head back into the pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

His mind played back bits and pieces of his nightmare, but they no longer had any terror in them. The voice of Slade faded into the calm exhortations of Starfire, gently reassuring. Her words repeated in his ears. His eyes closed and he rolled over, breathing softly.

Then he was asleep, and his dreams were all her.


	51. Orphans

Robin watched with growing suspicion as Beast Boy stacked carton after carton of non-dairy whipped cream on the kitchen counter. The changeling's odd activities had been easy enough to ignore earlier, when he'd first come in and found Beast Boy busy with… whatever something apparently required so much preparation. But now, now he was getting worried.

The changeling had started out by treating multiple pots and pans with no-stick spray, and then furiously mixing baking soda and water. It had seemed innocuous enough at first. But then Beast Boy had gotten out a large bottle of fizzy pop and a plastic case of something purple and jiggly and obviously Tamaranian in origin, and started experimentally combining them in the pans. That had attracted the Titan leader's attention. Robin had spent a good two minutes just standing there and staring at Beast Boy's progress. He had a growing niggling notion that he was bearing witness to the makings of a new prank.

The question was poised on the tip of his tongue, but he refrained from asking it. (Though not without effort.) It could still be completely innocent, whatever Beast Boy was doing, he told himself. You never could tell with the changeling. He didn't want to assume the worst.

But when Beast Boy started squirting tubes of yogurt into the bowls and sprinkling the mixture with pepper, the temptation became too much.

He sighed in resignation.

"What are you doing?" he muttered wearily.

"Glad you asked!" Beast Boy immediately piped up, as if he'd been waiting for a cue. The changeling shoved aside one of the empty cartons of whipped cream and then turned to Robin excitedly. "Okay, so you know how we've been trying to find a new substance to put in the soft target practice projectiles?" he explained in a quick burst.

Robin crossed his arms, still suspicious. "Yeah?" he asked.

"And you remember last week when we came home from the pizza joint and found that Silkie had chewed up half the kitchen and food was everywhere?"

Now Robin was just confused. "Where exactly are you going with this, Beast Boy?"

"Weeeelll…" the changeling drawled, putting his hands behind his back with a wide, self-satisfied grin on his face. "You guys didn't see it, 'cause you were busy cleaning up the living room, but Silkie puked out this weird pinkish stuff in the cabinets. And I found some of it still hanging around this morning and I thought, hey, that could work!"

"As… what?" Robin wondered, now completely lost.

"As projectile filling!"

Beast Boy popped down behind the counter for a moment and then emerged with a small yellow bowl in his hands, containing what looked like a couple handfuls of a pale pink gelatinous substance.

"See? It's squishy but not sticky, it doesn't run, it's dry, and best of all it doesn't stain!" Beast Boy told him eagerly.

Robin leaned forward in interest. The inky gel the Titans currently filled their hollow soft target projectiles with had given them no small amount of grief since they'd started using it. Raven in particular complained about the stains it would leave on her cloak whenever the projectiles shattered, in spite of her best attempts to shield herself.

The Boy Wonder reached into the bowl and scooped up a small amount of the stuff with his fingers. It came loose easily. Robin rolled it between his thumb and forefingers, noting the consistency and texture.

"Beast Boy…" he said, slightly awed. "This might actually work!" Robin shook the paste off and back into the bowl. "That's pretty clever. I never would have thought of it." He grinned at the changeling. "And I'm impressed you're taking the initiative to do something for the team like this."

Beast Boy beamed at the praise. "Well, I'm useful sometimes," he deflected modestly. He leaned his hands on the counter and peered into one of his mixing bowls. "The only problem is I don't know what exactly went into the mixture. I'm trying to recreate it from what I remember being scattered around the kitchen." The shape-shifter picked up a spoon and started furiously stirring it in the bowl.

Robin watched with fascination now as Beast Boy tried different combinations of ingredients. One pot came out with purple goop, one with red, one with a runny carbonated liquid that looked completely inedible and useless.

"I think there were tofu chunks," Robin put in helpfully, when Beast Boy was staring down at his work and frowning in frustration.

"Oh yeah!" Beast Boy made a beeline to the fridge and grabbed a box of the stuff from the top shelf. Returning to his workspace, he measured out a cupful of tofu and shook it into the pan with the purple goop. After some determined stirring the mixture turned pale pinkish, matching the color of the original worm throw-up.

Both boys peered into the pan, studying Beast Boy's creation intently.

"Well, it looks like the right color…" Beast Boy said.

"But not the right consistency," Robin countered.

"Maybe it just needs more stirring. Or stronger stirring." Beast Boy's eyes cast about and then lit on the blender. "Oooh!"

Beast Boy grabbed the pan, dashed over, and tipped all the contents into the blender.

As he was reaching to push the button, Robin raised an apprehensive hand and tried to say, "Uh, I'm not sure that's such a good i—"

Too late. Beast Boy pressed the button to puree (forgetting to put the cover on) and the contents of the blender sprayed everywhere in a magnificent slimy explosion, splattering both of them across their fronts with a loud _SPLUT_.

"—dea," Robin finished. A glob of the stuff dripped down the left side of his face, smearing across his mask.

"Are you kidding?" Beast Boy crowed excitedly. "It worked perfectly!"

He lifted up a handful and let it drip cleanly through his fingers. The glee of his success was palpable on his face.

"Ha ha! Eat your heart out, Cyborg! I'm a genius!" he gushed.

Robin was decidedly less thrilled and sent a glare of mild annoyance at the changeling.

Beast Boy's excitement stalled. His laughter trailed off. He stared back at Robin a long, awkward moment.

"…I'll go get the sponge," he volunteered, turning around.

-TT-

Robin finished wiping off the counter and swept a chunk of goop into his hands, then deposited it in the pan with the rest of their new projectile filling.

"I'll have Cyborg disable the obstacle course and work on replacing the soft target projectiles first thing tomorrow," he said.

Working on the other side of the kitchen, Beast Boy called back over his shoulder, "You'll tell Cyborg _who_ came up with the idea for the stuff, right?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "No, I'll say it just _magically_ appeared in our stores," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. More seriously he added, "You really want to hold this over him, don't you?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "He doesn't think I can do chemistry. Not seriously anyway. I just wanna prove him wrong, that's all."

"I can respect that." Robin flicked a piece of tofu off the counter.

The changeling paused a moment in his cleaning, then came over and hopped up onto the counter Robin had just finished with. "You know… we don't really hang out much." He grinned. "Wanna come to the ZeoCon Gaming Convention with me and Cy this Saturday?"

"This Saturday?" Robin repeated. He shook his head. "Can't. I have to be in Gotham that weekend. Batman needs me—or rather my civilian identity—to make an appearance at a charity fundraiser."

Beast Boy scooted forward on the counter, until his legs were hanging over the side. He hadn't missed the bitter trace in Robin's voice.

"Whatever happened between you two anyway?" he asked. "Every time I ask you about it you brush me off."

Robin turned away, grabbing up the sponge again for something to do. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered, scrubbing the countertop.

"Aw, come on, dude," Beast Boy argued, jumping down. "It can't have been _that_ bad."

"It wasn't at first," Robin admitted. "He led, I followed, and it worked for a while. We made a great team." Robin gave a scowl, dropping the sponge. "Then he started lecturing me about every little mistake I made and refused to trust me. So I left," he told the changeling, summing up the mess as briefly as he could. Robin waved a hand towards the window, and the view of the bay beyond it. "And I came here," he finished.

Beast Boy listened respectfully, curious eyes on Robin, and then asked carefully, "How'd your parents feel about you moving all the way out here?"

From the way Robin looked down at the counter, avoiding eye contact, and from his distinctly uncomfortable body posture, Beast Boy could tell he'd asked an awkward question.

"They're… not around," Robin said vaguely.

"You mean they're dead," Beast Boy corrected. Robin gave a small flinch, but betrayed nothing else, and Beast Boy offered a faint smile. "It's okay dude, you don't have to lie to me." He leaned his arms on the counter. "I figured it was something like that."

Robin's mouth twisted grimly. "I guess it's kind of obvious."

"Not really," Beast Boy countered. "I mean, you never call Batman your dad but you complain about him like he's some kind of dad to you. I just read between the lines is all."

Robin chuckled slightly under his breath. Beast Boy could be remarkably perceptive sometimes. "You read right. After… what happened," Robin said, sinking down into one of the stools, also putting his arms on the counter, "Batman took me in… made me who I am." He sighed. "I owe a lot to him."

"But he can't ever really replace them." Beast Boy's nose sank into his arms. "Know _that_ feeling."

The Boy Wonder sidled a glance towards him. "You too?" he guessed.

The changeling nodded. "Yeah… Sucks being an orphan doesn't it?"

"Can't argue there."

"I guess we were luckier than most orphans though," Beast Boy reasoned, raising his face from his arms and tracing a circle on the counter with his finger. "We found people who gave us a home and sort of a new family, right?"

Robin shrugged, noncommittally.

The two boys were quiet a moment, contemplating their shared experiences of parental loss. The somber mood that had fallen over them was starting to paralyze Beast Boy. He looked across the short distance to Robin, who was lost in thought and staring into space, and felt a desperate need to lighten the mood. But what could he say? Joking was his coping method, but it seemed inappropriate now.

Then he remembered.

"On the bright side—" he piped up cheerily, straightening up. "—if we _hadn't_ been orphaned, we'd have never met the other Titans."

That had the desired affect and cheered Robin right up. The Boy Wonder's expression brightened. Beast Boy felt satisfied. Knowing how Robin felt, that as much as he missed his mother and father he couldn't imagine his life without the Titans now, he'd figured—accurately—that bringing up that fact would lift both their spirits.

"That _would_ have been tragic," Robin quipped, standing up again. He slid the pan with the projectile filling over to Beast Boy's end of the counter. "Make sure to refrigerate that."

"No problem!" the changeling said, saluting. As Robin continued cleaning up, washing the failed mixtures down the sink, Beast Boy spooned the projectile filling into two plastic containers. He played with a clump a moment, idly. He'd have to make way more; the Titans used the obstacle course almost daily. Or… maybe Starfire's purple fungus stuff would self-propagate if cared for properly? He'd have to remember to ask her later, he thought, as he rolled his clump into a ball. He looked down at it a moment, glanced up to see that Robin was back on his side of the counter, and then got a mischievous grin. "Hey Robin! I found another great use for this stuff," he said.

"Which is?" Robin called, not looking up. At the changeling's eerie silence he turned. He needed only a moment to see the shape-shifter's familiar impish expression, a look that promised no good, and the slime ball in his hands. "You wouldn't dare," he said, his tone a mix of stern warning and incredulous horror.

Beast Boy gestured casually with his occupied hand. "Robin, it's me. Of _course_ I would dare." Grin widening, his arm raised and wound up to throw. "HEADS—"

In a blink, Robin tackled him.

Beast Boy went down with a loud _ooof!,_ hitting the floor solidly. The slime ball left his hand without being thrown… but hit Robin anyway, landing with a wet slopping noise on the back of his head, and dripping into his hair.

Robin grimaced in revulsion, his body tensed, and resisted the rising urge to strangle Beast Boy, who was now looking very nervous under the Boy Wonder's withering glare.

"Heh," he squeaked. "Uh… since you tackled me, technically this isn't my fault… right?"

Robin said nothing for a moment. Then he smirked and reached back behind his head to grab a handful of slime.

"Oh _nooooo!_ " Beast Boy wailed, throwing up his arms to cover his face.

-TT-

The doors hissed open for Raven and Starfire, deep in conversation with each other. Raven was responding to something Starfire had said.

"Don't know why you'd think—AZAR!"

Both girls stopped dead in their tracks, staring, as a tussling Beast Boy and Robin quickly disengaged and stood to their feet, both boys smeared with an odd pinkish glop. The two looked sheepishly up at the girls, feigning innocence with their body posture.

Raven narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms sternly.

Robin pointed awkwardly at Beast Boy. "Um… he started it?" he said.

Starfire, meanwhile, swept the room with her eyes, taking in the messy kitchen and empty containers. She gave a gasp.

"My Sentaran bug jelly!" she cried.


	52. Balancing Act

"Robin leaps up onto this balcony and he's all serious like, 'You can make this easier on yourself if you surrender.' right?" Beast Boy said, pitching his voice lower in a gruff imitation of the Titans leader. "But this guy is like totally not scared, and he kinda jeers at us. So then that's when I pop up from behind him, morph into a T-Rex, and give the biggest, loudest roar I can!" He used his hands to gesture emphatically as he spoke. "He gives one girly shriek and then passes right out."

Terra laughed, picturing the scene in her head. "Ha ha. Awesome," she told him, giving a warm smile.

Beast Boy beamed with glee and excitement. He practically skipped as the two of them made their way up from the obstacle course to the Tower's main entrance.

Terra brushed her hair out of her face, looking off to the side. It was a beautiful day out—sun shining, temperature hovering at a pleasant seventy-three degrees Fahrenheit, and skies blue with an occasional wispy white cloud. A light breeze off the ocean cooled the thin sheen of sweat from her workout on her skin. She was still slightly breathless, the euphoric high of exercise only just starting to wear off now. "Hey, thanks a lot for running the training course with me today. It really helps," she said, turning to Beast Boy as they neared the door.

"No problem. Hey, you wanna go visit the zoo?" Beast Boy offered, bouncing on the balls of his feet as they stopped a moment in front of the doors. "It's really nice out today and I heard they have a new penguin exhibit! Plus Titans get in free," he tempted her in a sing-song.

She smiled. The words _Yeah, I'd love to_ almost escaped her lips.

Then abruptly she realized what she was doing. A flash of uncertainty passed over her face, but she managed to mask it by turning her head, hiding her gaze.

"I… I shouldn't. I've actually got to go up to my room now. I left a huge mess in there this morning and I really need to clean it up." The excuse slid from her mouth with practiced ease. "Maybe some other time."

"Oh." Beast Boy looked crestfallen. His disappointment almost made her reconsider. "Well, okay then. See you for lunch?" he asked, hopeful.

"Can't guarantee that, sorry," she said, hurrying to punch the button and make her escape into the Tower. "I should be done sometime this afternoon. I'll see you then, Beast Boy."

That brightened him a bit. "Okay! See you then, Terra!" came his reply as she stepped through the door and let it close behind her.

Terra made a beeline for her room. She flitted up the levels of the Tower in a rush and didn't stop hurrying until she was safely though her door. She shut it behind her quickly and leaned her back against it with closed eyes, exhaling in relief.

Her eyes opened and scanned her room, with its walls painted to match the outdoors and its wide window on the opposite side, overlooking the bay. Aside from a few articles of clothing on the floor, it was pristine. It looked barely lived in.

No mess to be found.

Terra pressed her fists to her forehead with a groan and walked a few paces into the room, agitated.

What was she _doing?_

"Stupid… stupid!" she berated herself. "Don't get attached!"

That was the first thing Slade had warned her about. The very first thing he'd told her not to do.

And yet she couldn't _help_ it. She'd been at Titans Tower longer than she'd ever stayed anywhere else. It was familiar to her now. She had the layout memorized. Could get around it in her sleep. And she'd gotten to know the Titans better than anyone else she'd come across in her travels. They were her first real friends in a long, long time. She _liked_ them.

It terrified her.

Her fingers slid up through her hair as she looked around the room. Her backpack was on the plush couch chair. She stared at it, her mind racing. There was no way she could do this. Slade had put his confidence in the wrong girl.

 _I gotta get out of here_ , she decided.

Every so often, in her delicate straddling of the line between Titan and spy, the weight of her mission became overwhelming, and she'd fantasized about shoving a handful of clothes inside the pack and jetting off, leaving all of this behind her. But now she found herself actually doing it. She scooped up the backpack from the cushions. She grabbed up a pair of jean shorts peeking out from under the coffee table, and a t-shirt hung over the chair's arm, wadded them both up and pushed them inside haphazardly. She went around the room, grabbing things up from the floor and shelves. She didn't bother emptying the drawers; they didn't have much in them to begin with. She didn't stop to think.

Not like she _could_ think through the blind panic coursing through her now.

Anxiety gripped her every limb. It had been ages ago since she'd last had a panic attack but she remembered the painful pounding of her heart and the alarm bells clanging in her head with aching familiarity. It felt like her lungs were closing up. She had to escape. Had to run. Running was familiar to her; it helped the panic run its course.

Every second she lingered was a second too long. The alarm bells in her head grew louder and louder, screaming _Get out get out get out get out_ —

She couldn't take any more. She stuffed one more sock into the pack and then zipped it up and stumbled out the door. The hallways passed in a blur. She tried not to run, but everything in her cried out for speed and haste. She didn't pay much attention to her route. All that mattered at the moment was getting out of the Tower.

So she really shouldn't have been surprised when she ran right into Cyborg and Starfire.

"Terra!" the Tamaranian exclaimed, beaming and opening her arms wide to hug the geomancer.

Terra's breath spiked with a sharp gasp as she skidded to a halt.

"Hey, Terra. What's shakin' today, girl?" Cyborg asked her with a grin.

"Uh… fine. Yeah, I'm fine," she stammered as she found herself caught up in Starfire's hug. "I mean—"

 _Easy, easy… stay calm… play it cool_ , she thought to herself. She took a deep breath. By the time Starfire let her go, she had collected herself somewhat.

"I'm just heading out to do a little shopping," she told them.

"Oh!" Starfire gushed. "I have not been to the mall of shopping in ages. Might I accompany you?"

In spite of everything, Terra managed a laugh. "I'm just going to the grocery store, Starfire, to pick up some peanut butter cookies. I won't be gone long," she said, already starting to move off down the hall past them.

"I… I see…" Starfire replied, a little disappointed, as she watched Terra go. "Very well then. I wish you the best of luck!" she called, giving a wave.

Terra waited until they were out of sight around the next corner before picking up her pace again.

-TT-

Once she was outside, she bolted.

Strangely, the farther away she got from the Tower, the more reluctant she became. She'd already slowed from an outright sprint to a more leisurely jog. The panic was abating and her frantic pulse wasn't so quick now.

But she didn't stop running.

When she reached the outskirts of the city, she started to relax. The tightness in her lungs loosened up, and her adrenaline rush subsided. Her thoughts were more coherent now.

 _There's the city limit_ , she thought in relief. _I made it. I'll be okay now. Once I'm out of the city then I can…_

Then she could… what?

The sudden uncertainty gave her pause. She slowed as she reached the apex of the hill, beyond which she would be out of Jump City's municipal boundaries, and came to a stop just shy of it. She stood rooted in place a moment, hesitating, then turned around and looked back. The whole of Jump City lay spread out before her like a glittering silver carpet. She could see the Tower clearly, standing proudly on its island in the bay, tall and familiar and calling out to her to return home.

She stared across the distance at it. Now that the panic had abated, she didn't know what she was doing out here. Her idea to run away seemed incredibly foolish now. Where would she even go? Back on the old lonely road again? Even if that was the plan, she was woefully unprepared supply-wise, she realized. Her mind was acutely aware of the lightness of her pack, how miserably inadequate her clothes and barrette and bag of gummi worms would serve her.

 _I've gotten by with less_ , she reasoned to herself, _but…_

The Tower gleamed with the midday sunlight. A warm breeze lifted strands of her hair and blew them into her face. She brushed them behind her ear, gazing towards the Tower. She couldn't draw her eyes away from it.

 _And the Titans would worry about me. They'd try to find me_. _I wouldn't get that far._ And there was Slade to consider. She still owed him. He was counting on her.

Terra sighed, her shoulders slumping.

 _I can't leave_ , she realized. _I couldn't leave now…_ The only certainty she had lay back in Jump City. She'd grown… fond of the place. Fond of just staying in one city and not constantly moving around. Being a Titan—and even working for Slade to spy on the Titans—gave her comforting direction. For once, her life had clarity and purpose.

And Slade had told her she had a mission to perform. She'd promised to do it. And she was supposed to keep her promises right?

He'd given her an order, and if there was one thing she knew how to do from her childhood in Markovia, it was how to take and follow orders, and obey the people telling her what to do.

Terra gave the Tower one last glance, and then started to trudge back down the hill. The sun was hot on the back of her neck as she made her way down.

She didn't want to go back to the Tower just yet. She thought her panic might come roaring back if she returned there immediately. So she made her way to the diner on the edge of the township instead, to cool off and get a better hold of herself before she went back to the Titans.

The bell jingled and the familiar mixed smell of cigarette smoke, greasy food, and alcohol met her nose. Terra crossed straight over to the bar and sat down at her usual stool, putting her hands in her lap and staring absently past the crumbs on the countertop.

After a few minutes she was joined by a tall silver-haired man, who took the stool next to her and motioned at the waitress.

"One slice of lemon meringue for the girl and a glass of water please," he told her.

Pam cast a wary glance at the man, not moving.

Terra looked up from the counter. "It's okay, Pam. I know him," she reassured the older woman, offering a faint smile.

Still a bit suspicious, Pam nevertheless moved off to the door that led to the kitchen, to shout the order at the cook in the back.

Slade waited until she'd disappeared behind the heavy metal door, leaving the bar untended for the moment. He let a few moments of silence pass before turning his head towards the fidgeting fourteen-year-old next to him. She said nothing, and avoided eye contact, tugging at the seams of her gloves absently. The soft clink of glasses against tables and rowdy men's voices could be heard behind them.

"What are you doing here, Terra?" he finally asked quietly.

She shrugged. "I dunno," she said. She put her hands flat on the counter. "I just… needed to get out of the Tower for a while… clear my head."

"And is your head cleared?" Slade asked, turning slightly in his seat to better face her.

She thought a moment, and then nodded. "I think so," she told him.

"Good."

Pam came by just then, and set the plate of pie and the glass before them, before moving off to help a group of bikers who had just come into the diner and taken a table.

Slade nudged the plate over to Terra, who picked up her fork and dug in. Grabbing his glass he took a small sip, and then swirled the ice and water around idly.

"So what happened? Were you caught?"

Terra swallowed her mouthful of pie. "No no, nothing like that. I just—" She sighed and set her fork down, putting her head in her hands. "I had a panic attack," she explained. "I used to get them a lot, when I was out on my own." She picked up her fork again and scraped it along the plate. "Getting outside helps."

Slade watched Terra with concern as the girl morosely ate her pie. He was glad she had managed to reign herself in before getting too far. (If she had run off and the Titans had discovered it, that would have been disastrous. Slade knew they would have stopped at nothing to bring her back and find out _why_ she'd tried to leave.) Still, that her first instinct was still to try and skip town was troubling. He'd thought he'd trained her better.

 _Perhaps not_ , he thought. After all, Terra's trust was fragile and hard to earn. It had taken them a while to even get to this point.

Slade set his glass down. Terra needed to know to run to him, her master, when she was feeling doubts and insecurities. _He_ must be the one to comfort her and allay her fears.

"You should have come to me," he told her.

Terra hung her head.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Slade smiled. "Don't worry about it now, Terra." He touched a comforting hand to her shoulder. "But next time you have one of these panic attacks, I want you to come to the hideout. Take a few rounds against the sladebots. Hone your skills. Whatever you need to do to run it out. I'll be on hand if you need someone to help you calm down, of course. Understood?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Trust me," he said, stroking his fingers down her arm like he would a small child. "I've had experience with panicky kids before."

She seemed to visibly relax at that, and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in relief. "That's good to know." She stared a moment at the last bit of crust and meringue on her plate. "Slade?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes Terra?"

"Can't you do whatever it is you're going to do sooner?" She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, expression anxious and a little bit haggard. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

He turned her to face him, both hands on her shoulders now. "My dear, you're doing beautifully," he reassured her.

"Really?" Her voice wavered hopefully and a light came into her eyes.

Slade smirked to himself. It was amazing how a single well-placed compliment would cause the girl to melt. The girl was so desperate for approval she ate it up without question. He decided to press his luck and pry into the reason behind her nervousness and apprehension.

"Why don't you tell me what's troubling you?" he suggested. He let go of her shoulders and gave her a bit of space, leaned his arm casually on the counter.

Terra looked off the side. "Well… The Titans… I _like_ them," she confessed. "I like them a lot. They seem really nice to me. Lying to them just… doesn't feel right."

Now Slade frowned. _That_ line of thought had to be nipped in the bud immediately.

"I've warned you about trusting your feelings, Terra. The Titans are naïve," he told her sternly, unable to fully disguise the harsh edge in his tone. "Their view of right and wrong is narrow and deluded, based upon some vague notion of "justice" they can't define or articulate properly. They're like children, throwing tantrums about the unfairness of the world. Heroes are all the same. They think everyone is either good or evil, and they can't see the many layers of complexity, the shades of gray in the big picture." He gripped the base of his glass tightly. "Kids shouldn't play hero, Terra."

Terra gave a shrug. "If you say so." She didn't always understand when Slade went on his long diatribes about good and evil. But he seemed like he knew what he was talking about. And she kind of agreed about there having to be a middle area between "good" and "evil". The Titans called Slade a villain, emphasized that he had to be stopped… but she honestly couldn't see why they thought he was so bad. He'd helped her, kept his promise to train her to control her powers. He was a little hard on her during training but only to push to her into doing her best, and most of the time he was really warm and approachable. Kind. Almost fatherly even. She couldn't help but admire him. Sure, he sent the sladebots to steal things every now and then, but it was only to improve his arsenal and it wasn't like they'd really miss the stuff anyway, right?

And she was a good person, wasn't she? She helped people. Made them safer. That was why the Titans were considered "good", and she was a Titan.

Well… not exactly. She was a spy, not a true member.

She pushed off the train of thought. She wasn't really spying, just gathering information. Slade hadn't yet told her what he needed it for. Just asked her to help him get it. That wasn't anything really _bad_ … was it?

Her head hurt.

She felt Slade leaning in closer. "Don't let them deceive you, Terra." His voice was lowered, his words meant for her ears only. "They might think they know you, but none of them can _really_ understand what you've been through. And they'll turn on you the minute they know the truth."

His whispered words soothed her nerves, numbing her doubts.

She exhaled heavily. "You're right," she told him. The Titans wouldn't—and _couldn't_ —understand what she'd needed to do to get her powers under control. They would just hear the name 'Slade' and freak out and jump to all the wrong conclusions. They didn't know Slade like she did, didn't know what he was really like. Slade was the only one who understood her completely. She looked up at him, and felt her fears assuaged. "Sorry I've been so weird today," she apologized.

He gave her a smile. Nodding towards her almost-empty plate he said, "Why don't you go ahead and finish that up and then return to the Tower. The Titans will be missing you."

Terra scooped up the last bit of pie with her fork and popped it into her mouth. She swallowed, and then asked, "When should I check in next week?"

"Friday, seven-o-clock. Make sure to bring another copy of the Tower's blueprints," Slade told her.

"I will," she promised, standing up from the stool. Readjusting her backpack, she swung around for the exit, and soon disappeared with a creak and a jingle.

Slade watched her depart, then took a long sip from his glass. Terra would keep her promise, he knew, and be at their underground base of operations at seven-o-clock on the dot. Unlike his first apprentice, she was an obedient child. And so much easier to control.

Still, he couldn't let his guard down. Terra's skittish flight from the Tower today had been unexpected, if swiftly handled and avoiding any big crisis.

Satisfied, Slade tossed down a couple fives on the counter.

"Keep the change," he told Pam, as he rose from his seat.

He was sure it was only a minor hiccup.

-TT-

Terra covered her tracks by stopping by the grocery store and picking up the self-same peanut butter cookies she'd used as an excuse earlier, which she nibbled on as she spent an hour in her room, pretending to clean up.

The rest of the week passed uneventfully. The Titans noticed nothing amiss. Friday came and Terra found herself roped into inventory sorting in the basement with Robin, a task that promised to take all morning. She and Robin were now sitting on the floor amidst dozens of scattered open boxes. Robin had several sheets of office labels and a sharpie, with which he was writing down the items found in each individual box as Terra called them out. Then he'd stick the label on the side of the box and she would repack it, and close it back up. It was tedious work, and dusty, but Terra was glad to do it. It gave her a good excuse to take plenty of pictures with her hidden iris camera, to map out the layout of the basement and take stock of what the Titans had stored there.

"Another box of Slade junk," she announced after prying off a cardboard lid and looking down at the box's contents.

"Hang on a second, I didn't get the last couple items in the last bin," Robin said, scribbling anxiously on a label.

Terra slid the Slade-box away for the moment, and dragged an opened bin across the floor towards her. This one held a small assortment of Mad Mod's things. Terra rummaged through the box.

"Mod bust with taser tongue?"

"Got that one," Robin said. "What were the other two?"

Terra moved the bust aside. "Um, a blank hypno-screen and a power-nullifying beam generator from one of the chairs."

Robin wrote both items down on the label, then peeled it off the back, reached over and stuck it on the side. He passed Terra the lid and then slid another opened box next to him and started poking through that one. Terra closed up the Mad Mod box and hefted it up on top of a box of Mumbo Jumbo-related evidence. She glanced over at the bin full of Slade paraphernalia curiously. The Titans sure had a lot of stuff related to Slade.

 _This has to be, what, the fourth or fifth box?_ she thought, grabbing the edge and pulling it over. It seemed to be full of similar stuff to the other boxes. There were a few news clippings tucked in around the sides. A couple bladed shuriken. A belt. One of the sladebots' hand lasers. One of Slade's masks, cracked down the left side. Terra was careful not to disturb it as she pushed a few things on the top aside and rummaged around inside the box, remembering Slade mentioning some unpleasant surprise contained in all of his masks. (She'd asked about it once, but all Slade said apart from a vague comment about hallucinogenics was, "Let's hope you never have to find out.") There was an odd bundle of cloth inside the box. Terra pinched it between her fingers and drew it out. It was some kind of garment, all black save for half the chest, which was orange.

"Hey, what's this?" she asked Robin, holding it up.

Robin glanced up from his work. At the sight of the garment, he stiffened.

"Where did you find that?" His voice was strangely cold all of a sudden.

"Just right here, in the box," she answered, gesturing to the bin.

Robin grimaced, looking slightly embarrassed now. "Right. Of course," he said, dropping his eyes to his labels.

Terra stared after him, puzzled by his odd reaction. She shook it off, figuring it wasn't important. "So what is it?" she pressed casually.

"Nothing. Just put it back," he responded curtly.

She stretched the garment out between her hands, studying it. "It looks like some kind of uniform—"

"Put it _back,_ " Robin almost growled at her, smacking his pen down forcefully.

Terra flinched, immediately apologetic and defensive. "Woah, easy!" she said, putting up a hand and trying to pacify the agitated Titan. "I was going to. I just wanted to know what it was."

"We don't talk about it," Robin cut her off shortly.

The geomancer's face fell with a chastened look. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she lay the uniform back down across the box's other contents. "Sorry. I didn't know it was such a sensitive topic," she mumbled softly.

Robin felt at once guilty for snapping at her.

"No no, it's fine, it's just—" he stuttered. He sighed heavily, looking off into space. " _I_ don't like to talk about it," he said. He sat for a moment and then finally looked over at Terra with a grim, wry smile. "It's the uniform I wore when Slade made me his apprentice," he told her.

Terra's eyes bugged out. " _You_ were Slade's apprentice?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Not by choice, I assure you," Robin said grimly. "And fortunately only very briefly."

"Wow… That's just… wow…" Terra repeated, shaking her head. She didn't know what to say. Her mind was reeling with this revelation. She wondered what else Slade hadn't told her. "What—what happened? I mean—How did he get you to work for him?" she asked.

"Holding me against my will, basically." Robin capped his pen and leaned back on his hands, settling in to relay the story. "I was… obsessed with taking him down, so I fell right into his trap. He told me he'd been looking for someone to follow in his footsteps. He'd been testing me. Something made him think that I was his perfect protégé. So he chose me. And he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. When I refused—"

"Why?" The question blurted out before Terra could stop herself. Robin looked askance at her. "I-I mean—A big villain just basically offered to teach you all he knew. If you were so set on taking him down, couldn't you use that to your advantage? Like, let him train you and learn all you could from him and then turn it all against him?" she covered quickly. That was what she would've done, if a villain had been offering her control and special training and to make her a better fighter—take advantage of the opportunity and bring the villain down later.

Robin shook his head. "Slade wouldn't have let me get that far. And I tried something like that once before," he sighed. "It only ended in disaster. I wasn't going to deceive the Titans like that again. But I had no choice." The Titan brought his knees up and hugged them with his arms somberly. "Slade threatened to hurt the Titans if I didn't do what he said. He held me prisoner for about a week before they managed to rescue me."

Terra sat in silence a moment, absorbing Robin's story. She could sense Robin wasn't telling her everything, that he was keeping some of the details to himself, but what she'd heard so far put his persistent, irrational hatred and resentment of Slade into a much clearer perspective.

"That explains a _lot_ ," she told the Boy Wonder. "I wondered why you guys were on such bad terms with him."

Robin straightened himself out and went back to work. "Well, now you know the basic gist of it." He uncapped his pen and pulled a label sheet towards him. "So besides my apprentice uniform, what else is in that box?"

Terra stirred from her private thoughts. "Um…" She looked into the box. "Metal plates, a mask, and shuriken?"

Robin scratched them out on the label. "Right."

-TT-

The door barely made a sound as Terra slipped through it, but Slade looked up from the work he had spread out on the table anyway.

"Any problems?" he asked over his shoulder.

"None." She stepped up to the table and handed him the rolled-up blueprint. He took it, and spread it out on the table.

Terra stepped back, holding her elbow. An awkward silence permeated the dark room. The shadows surrounding them seemed heavy with anticipation. Slade brushed lint off the blueprints as he pretended to study them, waiting—Terra knew—for her to speak. Thanks to the feed from her iris camera, which he tapped into occasionally to check up on her, Slade usually knew what was going on. Terra guessed he was already aware of her discovery in the Titans' basement.

He didn't speak. He was waiting on her response, giving her the choice to either broach the subject herself, or just let the matter lie. A dozen burning questions were competing for her tongue's attention. Terra bit her lip uncertainly. For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then, quietly, she finally asked, "How come you never told me?" She raised her chin a bit. "That Robin was your apprentice," she clarified.

He turned his head towards her, fixing her with a steady, calm gaze. "Would it have mattered?"

She thought for a moment, remembering back to when she'd first agreed to let Slade teach her. She had been beyond the pale of desperation. If Slade had told her she'd be his second apprentice, hell, if he'd told her to bunny hop across the bay, it wouldn't have mattered. Wouldn't have changed the outcome. She would've done _anything_ to finally have control over her powers. Terra decided soberly that if she'd known about Slade's disastrous first apprenticeship, it still probably wouldn't have made a difference in her choice to accept his help.

"I guess not," she said with a sigh.

Slade seemed satisfied with her reply, nodding and looking back down at the blueprint.

Terra shifted a bit on her feet. She found a point somewhere on the dark ceiling to focus her gaze. "So… I wasn't your only apprentice huh?" she piped up casually. She looked at Slade. "Robin was your first?"

The villain stepped back from the table and faced her. "Correct," he confirmed. "Robin did serve, reluctantly, as my apprentice for a short time. He was… less than appreciative of the way I went about it."

She tilted her head, her gaze eerily perceptive. "That's why the Titans hate you, isn't it?" she guessed—correctly.

Slade sighed, closing his eye.

"I had the wrong approach with Robin," he told her. "I knew he would never have joined me of his own volition, so I had to use some… persuasion." He refrained from elaborating on that. "I tried to force him to be what I wanted him to be before he was ready." He lowered his head in regret. "It was a mistake. Robin was… too rebellious, too stubborn. Too blinded by his morals to see what I could give him, what I could make him. What he could become at my side. He was too afraid to really unlock his full potential with me."

Terra listened, fascinated. Slade sounded honestly remorseful for the situation. His words painted a picture in her mind of him asking Robin to do something, and Robin freaking out because it required him to lie or steal, Robin not listening, fearfully shaking his head and fighting tooth and nail, refusing to see what Slade was really offering him. The Boy Wonder had sounded frightened enough when she'd pulled out the old uniform. Maybe he was still afraid of what he might have become under Slade's tutelage. She couldn't understand that. Slade had made her more powerful and capable than she'd ever been in her life. How could Robin refuse that?

"He says you kidnapped him and held him prisoner."

Slade didn't seem fazed by the accusation.

"I tricked him into coming to the Haunt under false pretenses, yes," he downplayed. "And he may have _felt_ like a prisoner during his stay. But the truth is Robin could have left any time he wished to… _if_ he was willing to make the necessary sacrifices." Terra heard a bitter trace in Slade's voice as he continued, "His emotions and attachment to his _friends_ —" He snarled the word with great distaste. "—clouded his thinking. He couldn't do what it took to escape." Slade came up and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "That's why I warned you about growing too close to the Titans. Attachments make you weaker, Terra. They give people a way to hurt and control you."

Terra shuddered. She hated losing control. She'd always hated it. She nodded mutely to show her master she understood.

"You don't have to tell me," she muttered.

He leaned down to her level, his tone becoming much softer. "Terra," he said tenderly. "I don't want you to ever think you're just a poor man's replacement for Robin. Don't think that because you're my second apprentice that you're only second-best to him." He tilted her chin up. "I chose you for a reason, Terra. And it wasn't because I couldn't have my first choice."

She felt her eyes misting a little, and blinked rapidly to clear them. There was one more question she had to ask, one more answer she needed to have.

"Robin said… when you chose him, you wanted someone to follow in your footsteps." She swallowed around the sudden tightness in her throat. "Is that… Is it the same with me? Do you want me to become… like you?"

"Only if you want to, my dear," he told her. A moment's pause and then he queried, "Do you?"

She couldn't make eye contact. "I dunno," she said. "Maybe." She stared at her shoes, memorizing the pattern of her laces. "I can't see that far ahead."

He straightened. "Well, you don't have to figure it out just yet. We still have a few tasks ahead of us."

He crossed back to the table. Pulling open a drawer, he took out a small device, barely bigger than the tip of his finger. Terra stepped up obediently and took it when he turned and handed it to her.

"I want you to put that one inside the evidence room," he instructed. "Make sure it has a clear view of the worktable and everything on it."

"Gotcha," she acknowledged. "Anything else?"

"Just keep taking pictures and video with your iris camera. And see if you can get the empath to open up to you about her powers."

Terra grimaced. "I'll try," she promised. "But I won't guarantee anything. Raven doesn't really open up to anyone."

He dismissed her concerns with a simple, "I have faith in you, child." Glancing up at the clock he added, "You had better hurry back."

Terra tucked the bugging device into her pocket and headed for the door at once. Her mind was already far away as she tugged the door open and walked through. Unexpected revelations, her future…

She had a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, I still kinda don't like this chapter but I don't know really how to edit it to my liking.


	53. Distractions

Raven let the door slide closed behind her and gave a relieved exhale. Alone, finally. Now she could meditate. Her senses had been frazzled since the Titans' battle with Overload and she needed a few minutes to rest, sort herself out, recuperate.

She'd had a bit of trouble disengaging herself from the others. Beast Boy had been so thrilled at their victory, proposing the usual celebration of pizza and ice cream, and wouldn't stop plying her for support. It was only after the fifth time she'd told him, "No, Beast Boy, I really just want to go home." with that same tired groan of frustration, that he'd finally realized she really wasn't in the mood and backed off.

Raven picked up a stack of books on the floor and set it off to the side, to clear a space. She moved to her dresser to light the half-dozen candles sitting atop it. Picking up a bottle with a large round bulb, she poured a handful of dust into her palm, and sprinkled it over the tiny flickering flames.

A heady, fragrant scent filled the air.

Raven repeated the process with two more clusters of candles scattered around her room, bathing the air with the fragrance of her favorite incense. Raven took a long breath, inhaling the pleasant smell and letting it soothe her.

She moved to the space she'd cleared, picking up a few candles with her powers and bringing them closer. Setting them down, she adjusted her cape and then eased herself to the floor. Her legs curled up Indian-style, and she assumed her meditative sitting position.

And then there was a knock at her door.

Raven simmered with irritation as she heard Robin—she already knew it was Robin, his mental signature was very familiar by now—slide the door open a couple inches and poke his head in.

"Raven?" he called. "You got hit pretty hard in that fight. Are you all—"

"Robin," Raven groaned in exasperation, not even turning around to face him. "Go. Away."

To his credit, Robin realized at once what he'd interrupted and backed out with an apologetic grimace. "Right," he said. "Sorry."

The door closed again. Robin's presence wandered off and slowly faded away.

Raven let out a sigh of relief. Thank Azar. She closed her eyes.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" she recited in a low murmur. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

She let her mind clear, let her thoughts blank out and let her body relax until she could feel herself drifting…

…What was that _rattling_ noise?

Raven cracked an eye open, looking about for the source. She hadn't noticed it at first, but concentrating on being quiet and still had made the sound grow more pronounced. It was a steady, constant, mind-numbingly annoying undercurrent of noise that drove nails into her concentration.

The empath dropped her hands into her lap, opening both eyes now and searching the room. Nothing seemed out of place. The rattling was coming from above her. Someone on the next floor maybe?

She ruled that out with a quick scan of her powers, confirming no one upstairs.

Wearily, Raven got up and crossed from one side of the room to the other, listening for how the rattling grew or faded in volume to determine the precise spot it emanated from. She paced in a circle until she was sure she'd found the right spot, then looked up.

_The air vent?_ she guessed. The grate was right above her. From the cool air blowing on her face she could tell the A/C was on. The breeze moving past the grate was what was causing the rattling. _Probably a loose screw_ , Raven thought.

Heh. Loose screw. Beast Boy would have a joke about that if he'd been there. Which Raven was immensely thankful he wasn't, because she still needed to meditate and "quiet" wasn't something the changeling was particularly good at.

At any rate…

Raven reached up and found the screws with her powers, turning and tightening them until the rattling mercifully stopped. Satisfied, the empath returned to her seat, took her position again, and resumed her attempt to meditate. Using her powers again, even just a small amount like that, wasn't helping calm the chaos in her mind.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Raven breathed.

The fraying edges of her empathy stopped drifting. She drew the strands back together, picked out "debris" left over in her mind from the fight, smoothed and straightened her concentration out.

The process took about five minutes. She was almost— _almost_ —about to slip into her more relaxed deep trance when her senses buzzed to announce the presence of a rapidly-approaching Beast Boy.

_Oh no_ , she groaned to herself.

Standing up in a huff, she made a beeline for the door and pushed it open just as Beast Boy reached it.

" _Ten minutes_ , Beast Boy," she demanded. "Can I have just ten minutes? _Please?_ "

Beast Boy looked slightly confused and pointed off down the hall.

"Uh… I was just going to the bathroom," he told her.

Rather embarrassed now, Raven gave a small, "Oh." and her face flushed. "Sorry," she muttered.

"No problem!" he chirped cheerfully. "Hey, let me know when you're done, okay? There's this really funny video I found on the internet that I want to show you."

Though Beast Boy's definition of funny differed from hers, Raven found herself voicing an agreement. "Sure, okay I guess." She supposed she owed it to him at least, for assuming the worst of him earlier.

Her half-muttered promise made the changeling's face light up in delight, and Beast Boy smiled before collecting himself and hurrying along down the hall towards the bathroom.

Raven shut the door.

_Well, that was embarrassing_.

She sat back down, cleared her mind, and entered her trance.

Her mind felt free, unconstrained by her body, and in this state she could feel everything and nothing all at once. Peace washed over her, and tranquility. She could feel herself loosening up, tension easing out of her at the corners. It was like she was floating just over her body, tethered by thin strands of consciousness she could sever at a moment's notice, if she wished, to set free her soul self to go drifting through the Tower. The presences of her friends were on the periphery of her vision, but—for the moment—not bothering her. She watched Beast Boy's mind trot past her room, on his way back from the bathroom. Cyborg was up in OPS, with Starfire. Robin was… somewhere. Raven gave a quick tug on their bond and easily located him in the archives room, likely filing away his report on their fight.

Letting herself drift again, Raven cleared her mind of all distractions. She'd once described to Starfire that her empathy was like a constant undercurrent of noise—soft music on a radio, the tinkling of a fountain, background sound that she could ignore for the most part, unless she paid attention and tuned in, as it were. And meditating was like turning the knob on the radio way up until the sound was crystal clear and the melodies washed over her, enveloping her in their harmonic embrace.

That's why she needed it quiet. Other sounds and emotions threw discord into the harmony, grating on her mind like an out-of-tune note would grate on her ears.

Fortunately, today, she was able to get that quiet easily. Thank Azar for small miracles.

If she'd wanted to, she could have drifted deeper into her trance, or maybe activated her mirror and taken a quick trip inside her mindscape, in order to speak with the fractured fragments of her personality that resided there.

_Maybe not._ Rage had been pretty cranky lately, and Raven didn't want to risk setting her off. The last thing she needed was to trigger herself in the middle of trying to relax and unsort.

So she stayed as she was for a while. She wasn't sure how long; time didn't really seem to mean much to her in this state. She just breathed, and chanted her mantra softly, and straightened out the complicated tangle that was her mind.

All too soon she sensed a shift above her, and saw the vibrant blaring presence of Starfire moving from OPS, making a very obvious heading in her direction. Raven sighed inaudibly to herself, lingering in her trance a few more moments before gradually pulling herself out of it. Her consciousness dropped back down into her body, and her psychic awareness dulled—though did not, of course, fade away completely.

She had just gotten settled when the frantic rapping of Starfire's fist on her door interrupted her.

Raven glanced up at the clock on her dresser. She'd managed to get in twenty minutes of meditation before being called off. Huh. That was a pleasant surprise.

In a much better mood now, Raven crossed to the door and slid it aside to see Starfire, looking anxious and slightly worried.

"Yes, Starfire?" she asked with a smile.

"My apologies for interrupting, Raven," she said, "but I have not seen Silkie for several hours now and I was wondering if you might have seen—or rather sensed—him?"

Raven made a quick check to see if the grub had moved from his last location. He hadn't. "In the hanger, Starfire," she told the other girl. Frowning a little, she added, "And quite happily munching on a few wires, it feels like."

Starfire gasped, covering her mouth, and immediately sailed off to find her pet and stop him. Raven couldn't suppress a chuckle as the girl disappeared around the corner.

She pulled her cloak around herself and stepped out into the hall. She felt refreshed and energized. Twenty interruption-free minutes had been enough for now.

She headed for Beast Boy's room. If she knew the changeling, there wouldn't just be one silly internet video he wanted to show her by now. He'd have found three or four more while he was waiting.

She was going to be distracted for a while. But that was okay, she thought.

Her team was worth a little diversion.


	54. Good To Be Bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Villain focus chapter!
> 
> This one was fun to write.

Control Freak squeezed himself into his favorite cushy computer chair and shoved a handful of M&Ms into his mouth indignantly.

"Call me a sore excuse for a supervillain," he grumbled. "Pah! I could've totally had them if I hadn't forgotten about Starfire's stupid eyebeams."

He rubbed a welt on his arm, still stinging from the starbolt assault that had led to his most recent defeat. Seeing that his trap was falling apart at the seams, Control Freak had decided to run away— _Retreat,_ he quickly corrected himself—and had made his escape while Starfire was busy freeing the other Titans.

Stupid gorgeous smart Starfire.

Control Freak brought up his internet browser and immediately clicked over to the tab with his Teen Titans fanpage. There were several new posts, gushing about how clever the Titans were for squeezing out of danger. One girl had a sympathetic comment about how close Control Freak's trap had come to working. Control Freak upvoted that one.

After scrolling down the page until he got to the older posts, Control Freak opened a new tab and looked for news stories about the day's events. Just to be masochistic.

After leaving some nasty flames in the comments of several articles with his troll account (CFrulzs494), he consoled himself by clicking over to his favorite supervillain chat room hangout, logging in and opening with the question, "So, my nefarious neighbors, any ideas on how to keep a Tamaranian from blasting your head off with her laser eyes?"

"Blindfold. Duh," one of the female regulars piped up immediately, no doubt rolling her eyes.

"Seems like such a shame to cover them though," another chat regular mused. "They're so pretty."

"I _knoooow!_ " Control Freak groaned, cradling his face in his palms in self-conflicted agony.

The female (DramaChik1188) sighed over the channel. "Look, it's common sense. If you don't want Raven to be able to focus her energies, you cover her mouth. If you don't want Starfire pegging you with her eyebeams, you cover her eyes."

"Shut up, Drama. Like _you_ could ever get as close to defeating the Titans as I have," Control Freak snapped.

"I'm just saying," Drama relented, dropping the subject for now.

The topic moved on to how incredibly difficult it was to contain a superstrong Tamaranian warrior in general, given that Starfire could melt, bend, or otherwise get out of most common metals easily. After hotly debating the merits of titanium alloys for a few minutes, Control Freak logged off.

He pushed away from the computer a moment, idly munching his M&Ms.

Then he pulled up a document and started constructing his next ingenious plan to defeat the Teen Titans.

-TT-

_Who the hell_ ** _are_** _these guys?_ Red X thought, exasperated, as he dodged another round of laser bolts being aimed at his head, not with the sloppy skill of the usual low-tier cops he was used to fleeing, but by a crack squad of specially trained marksmen, new to the force.

Red X wondered idly if the JCPD had finally gotten enough funding to get its act together, or if the heads of the E.W. White Museum just really _really_ didn't want anyone stealing their stuff and were willing to pay through the nose for extra protection.

Maybe it was both.

"Take it you guys aren't fans of battle banter, are you?" Red X quipped, twisting his body away from a laser bolt that passed way too close to his stomach for comfort. (He'd already gotten shot quite a few times now and didn't care to repeat the experience.)

The marksmen didn't reply, just kept on firing at him.

Red X tossed a few exploding shuriken into their midst and flipped off a display case to a hanging wall marquee.

"Me, I'm usually pretty chatty. I find it lightens the mood, you know?"

The shuriken went off and scattered a few of the marksmen. The rest either ducked for cover or just kept on coming. Red X frowned. This was not going well at all.

_Keep talking, X,_ he told himself. _Keep them distracted._

"You're a lot quieter than the Titans," he said, standing up on the marquee and tossing down some smoke bombs, as he weaved in and out of shots. "Where are they, anyway? Isn't this kind of thing usually their department?" He crossed his arms in a mock pout. "Don't tell me the kids were sent to bed early."

Finally, a reaction from one of the cops. "They're busy," he growled.

_Doing what?! I thought this break-in of mine would be the most exciting thing that happened this week!_ Red X thought sourly. He'd only decided to go ahead with this heist because he thought the Titans would show up, itching for action after the week-long lull in crime they'd been enjoying. Instead, he got the Trigger-Happy Patrol Squad.

That stung, just a little bit. He'd really been looking forward to getting under their skin again.

"You mean they blew me off?" Red X exclaimed, feigning injury. "I'm hurt. I'm really hurt. I thought we had something special between us."

"Shut up," the cop growled.

Red X leapt up as the man shot his laser gun at him, punching the button in his belt that activated the short-range teleportation function. He dematerialized in midair and rematerialized in the next room. Red X clutched his small bag tighter in his left hand and booked it for the exit.

He didn't want to have to use that trick again; he was running low enough on xenothium as it was and teleporting didn't help. He'd have to rely on his old friends Speed and Dirty Underhanded Tactics.

Like splattering the floor behind him with his favorite sticky red goo. From the satisfying yelps he heard before he barreled out the door, he could tell that _someone_ (hopefully plural someones) had gotten his feet caught in it.

His reprieve was short lived, however, as a quartet of cops found another exit and were soon hot on his tail again. Red X stowed away his loot bag and tried to grapple up to the rooftops, hoping they couldn't follow him there, but one of them shot his line, snapping it and sending him crashing back to the street. Red X thought several choice curse words as he hit the pavement. When he managed to get up, he found himself with his back to the wall and four very serious frowning cops surrounding him, their guns leveled at his chest.

_Crap._ Red X tentatively held his hands up. He could maybe get off two Xs, take out at least one of the marksmen, maybe two if he was lucky, but then they'd probably shoot him.

He looked pretty thoroughly cornered, even he had to admit. He was still mulling over his options when all of a sudden there was a bright purple flash and one of the marksmen yelped as he was hit by a glowing ball of energy. He went flying away, and the other three turned, startled, and raised their guns up towards a floating, dark-haired figure that hovered about ten feet above them.

Her eyes lit up and violet eyebeams swept down, cutting the barrels of their weapons neatly in half before they could fire a shot. While they were distracted, Red X struck, uppercutting one of the men solidly in the face. He stumbled back and the other two rounded on Red X, who quickly learned that—in addition to being excellent shots—the crack squad cops were also fairly good brawlers.

Still, he felt loads more confident now that he wasn't trapped against the wall. And had potential backup.

Said backup descended in the air until she reached Red X's level. Blackfire crossed her arms as she watched the thief duke it out with the trio of cops.

"Need a little help there, handsome?" she asked sweetly, as Red X knocked a marksman back with a spin kick.

"I could use some, sure," he grunted. Hey, he wasn't torn up about an attractive young woman coming to his rescue in the nick of time. He grinned up at her from behind his mask. "You offering?"

Blackfire smirked and replied by swooping in and decking one of the cops. The force of her punch knocked him right off his feet, and he landed several feet away, groaning, limbs stiff.

Red X in turn shot an X out that latched onto another cop's face. The man gave a muffled yelp and stumbled around, trying to pry the thing off.

"Interesting arsenal," complimented Blackfire, as she shot a starbolt at a couple newcomers to the fight, now just arriving.

"Thanks." Red X extended the x-blades in his gloves and blocked a few punches from his first foe, the one he'd uppercut, who had recovered by now. He lifted one of his fists to show Blackfire. "Xenothium-based tech. Pretty versatile stuff."

Blackfire nodded. "I can tell."

Cops continued spilling out of the side-exit of the museum, rushing to join the fight. Now back-to-back, the two villains found themselves ringed in by an increasing number of enemies. Blackfire's eye beams and starbolts dealt with their weapons and kept most of them at bay.

Red X kicked his foe aside and retracted his x-blades, backed up to speak conspiratorially with Blackfire. "I'd say it's time for a strategic retreat. How 'bout you?"

She shrugged noncommittally with a "Whatever you want" hum.

Smirking, Red X reached for his belt, laying a hand on Blackfire's arm, and then punched the teleport button.

…Which fizzled and refused to do anything.

"Aw, come on!" Red X groaned, mashing the button in frustration.

"Aww, performance issues?" Blackfire clucked sympathetically, turning around to look over his head.

"Low on juice," Red X grunted, finally giving up.

She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I've got this."

She rose up in the air, bringing both hands above her head, and charged a massive starbolt. Red X had the good sense to flatten himself to the ground and cover his head in the split second before she let it fall.

_BAM!_

The air seared white-hot around him as the giant starbolt slammed into the ground and exploded in all directions. Red X could see the light of the blast even with his eyes squeezed closed, and he felt its fire singe the back of his arms.

Remarkably, though, he was unharmed.

When he uncovered his head and looked up, he found the blast had taken out all their opponents in one blow. Jump City's elite squadron was scattered here and there, moaning on the ground and firmly down for the count. The pavement smoldered and thin trails of smoke drifted up.

Red X pushed himself to his feet, whistling in awe.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," he complimented.

Blackfire set down, smug, her hands on her hips. "I know," she said.

Red X dusted himself off, and sidled a flirty glance towards the Tamaranian. "So…" he drawled. "What brings you here, cutie?"

"Boredom," she shrugged. "You?"

The thief drew his loot bag out and bounced it in his hand. "A fine assortment of priceless jewelry pieces." He opened it up for her to see.

Blackfire peered into the bag, eyes glinting with greed at the sight of the sparkling diamond and jewel-encrusted pieces. "Nice." She pointed at them. "Do I get a share for the assist?" she asked, raising her eyes to meet his.

"Help yourself," he told her, holding the bag wide open. Under other circumstances he might have put up a protest to the prospect of dividing his plunder but what the heck, the girl _had_ just saved his butt and he didn't want to seem ungrateful. (Because he was _very_ grateful. Very.) Blackfire gleefully stuck her hand inside the bag and rummaged around until she found a necklace with large cut rubies that she liked. Red X studied her while she held it to her neck, admiring it. "Tamaranian huh?" he commented. "Any relation to…?"

"Little Starfire?" Blackfire guessed. She gestured a thumb at herself. "I'm her older sister."

_Man, the gene pool was_ ** _really_** _kind to their family,_ Red X thought, looking her over. "Sister eh?" he said absent-mindedly. Drawing his gaze back up, he grinned and turned the charm on full force. "Whatcha doing later tonight?" he crooned.

Blackfire raised a very… _interested_ eyebrow at him. "Depends," she hedged.

The thief folded his arms and leaned back on one leg, casually. "I know a few places that serve really great cocktails," he suggested.

She gave a playful smirk.

"I know a tech facility that stores xenothium," she told him.

_Score._

"You've got yourself a deal," Red X said, grinning and putting away his loot bag.

The Tamaranian extended a hand out to him. "Blackfire," she said. "Nice to meet you."

Red X took her hand and gave it a firm, friendly shake. "Red X," he said. "Likewise."

-TT-

"Stop shoving, you overgrown thugs!" Mad Mod complained, as he was pushed roughly forward by a pair of prison guards. The duo were escorting him from his transport to processing and growing increasingly impatient with how he kept stopping to spew threats at them. Mad Mod tugged on his handcuffs irritably, as one of them led him through a doorway into a more secure section of the prison. "I'm warning you, once I get out, I'll have all of you rotten Yankees singing 'God Save The Queen' before tea time!" he threatened.

"Yeah yeah," the man dismissed, while the other one just sighed dramatically. "That's what you always say. Whatever."

_Cheeky git_ , Mad Mod thought.

He was surly and silent for the rest of the walk. His entourage led him through a set of double-doors and Mad Mod scowled as he was taken through the familiar processing sequence: checked in, frisked for any unwanted lock picks or keys, issued his standard prison uniform— _Hideous color_ , he thought with a grimace—and finally turned loose in the mess hall with the other prisoners.

"Welcome back, Mod," greeted a lady officer sitting on a stool in the corner, in a very bored tone, not looking up from her newspaper.

Mad Mod nodded once at her. "Angela."

The villain stalked into the center of the room and paused, glaring around at the orange-suited inmates, the card tables, the folding chairs, the couches and love seats clustered together in small bunches here and there, and the ping-pong table in the far right corner.

"Home sweet home," he grumbled to himself. "It's like I never left."

Spotting a bald, tattooed prisoner across the room, nonchalantly playing poker with several of his buddies, Mad Mod's eyes narrowed and he made his way over.

One of the prisoners looked up and groaned. "Oh great. Captain Killjoy is here everyone!"

Several poker players gave groans of annoyance and scooted back in their chairs, rising to their feet and pointedly moving off somewhere else. Bald Head stayed where he was, and looked up startled to find Mad Mod's witheringly unpleasant stare upon him.

"I haven't forgotten the TP in the shower rack incident, Harold," Mad Mod hissed. "You watch yourself. Cross me again and I'll have you strung up by your knickers in the yard."

Harold cringed, shrinking down in his seat. It was a rather comical sight, this grown thirty-something man cowering under the wrath of a geriatric elder. "It was just a joke," he whimpered softly.

Satisfied, Mad Mod straightened and walked over to a circle of couches and plush chairs arranged around an old television in the corner. Over the back of a green couch, he could see Punk Rocket's distinctive spiky white hair peeking out. The younger villain was slouched in his seat, one arm pointed at the television, boredly flipping the channel with the remote. Mad Mod slumped onto the couch next to him, crossing his arms.

"Anything good on the telly?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Naught," Punk Rocket grunted. "Sixty channels an' not a BBC America among them."

Mad Mod heaved a growling sigh. "Naturally. Couldn't have expected a change-up in the five weeks I was out, could I? That'd imply these Yanks would've actually grown some _taste_."

Punk Rocket shrugged. "Could be worse. I've been in prisons as had only six channels. All of 'em local news stations." He shuddered. "Bloody torturous." Twisting in his seat to face the older villain, Punk Rocket crossed one leg over his knee and asked casually, "So, what got ya fouled up an' caught this time?"

"Who d'you think?" Mad Mod grumbled, staring at the TV as though he could incinerate it if he looked at it long enough. "Boy Birdbrain figured out it was an illusion and shattered my artificial reality bubble to pieces." His hands fisted tightly. "I swear, I'd like nothing more than to just _smash_ that little snot into the ground."

"There there, old chum," Punk Rocket consoled, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "All of us have got a score or two t' settle with the Bat Brat. You're not alone."

Surprisingly, that did not make Mad Mod feel better. He shot an unpleasant look at Punk Rocket. "What's your excuse, Rocket? Blow out your speakers again?"

At that, Punk Rocket's face puckered with a sour look. "The Titans' Tin-Man turned off his audio systems," he spat. "My sonic disruptions couldn't affect him. An' then what that _Raven_ girl did…" He shivered. "Still giving me the heebie-jeebies." Changing the subject he asked, "Anyway, what's the plan for when you get out again?"

"I'm rather blanking at the moment," Mad Mod admitted.

Punk Rocket scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Have ya ever considered subliminal messaging?"

Mad Mod peered over at him. "Eh?"

The younger villain sat upright, gesturing. "Like, film yourself a commercial full to the brim with hypnotic programming and suggestions, then pick a time when everyone's watchin' TV—the Superbowl maybe, heaven knows Americans love their 'football'—" Punk Rocket said, making quotations in the air, "—and pipe it in on the airwaves."

"Hmm…" Mad Mod stroked his chin, considering the idea. "It has merit." He grinned. "I like it."

Punk Rocket lifted the remote and started flipping through channels again. "Tell the Titans hi for me will ya? An' pass _this_ —" He made a rude gesture. "—to Raven."

"Don't think it'll mean the same, coming from me." Mad Mod squinted at the younger villain. "You're not breaking out yourself?" he asked, puzzled.

"After what Little Miss Creepy did to me?" Shivering again, Punk Rocket curled himself up comfortably on the couch. "No thanks. It's safer in here."

Mad Mod supposed he couldn't argue that point.

"Still has bloody awful television," he grumbled, grabbing a magazine from a nearby coffee table.

-TT-

Terra hurled a boulder into an oncoming sladebot, demolishing it completely upon impact. She jerked around and crushed another sladebot between two columns of earth, and from the shadows Slade watched and marveled at the raw power and ferocity she was unleashing. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen from her before. The training and focus he'd drilled into her were coming out in a relentless assault upon her opponents. She was destroying quite a good number of his robot commandos beyond repair, beyond salvage even, he noticed.

It irked him very slightly, but he supposed he couldn't fault her. He _had_ told her to run a sequence to vent her emotions and the girl _was_ rather… upset… at the moment.

Slade pulled his eyes away from his apprentice and her destruction of his training drones and looked down at his palm computer. He replayed the footage he'd managed to salvage from his hidden surveillance equipment in the Tower, before the Titans had found it all and decommissioned it, and frowned again as he watched the battle play out. The tiny figures of Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Robin kicked, punched, tossed, and starbolted their way through his legion of sladebots on the screen. The numbers were hopelessly stacked against them, and intermingled between the regular drones were squads of hidden, specially-constructed commandos designed specifically to target and combat the Titans' individual powers and abilities. He knew when these were attacking because the target Titan became helplessly bogged down and surrounded by enemies. And yet… it all came to naught. No matter how many times he watched the footage, the outcome remained the same. Somehow the Titans turned the tide, gained the upper hand against his sladebots, and managed to survive. Defeat their foes. Live.

His defeat last night had been… unexpected. And disappointing. It left a sour taste on his tongue, losing, especially when he had been so confident in his plan's success. Clearly, he'd underestimated the Titans' determination and tenacity. Perhaps being on their own territory, fighting for the safety of their home, had given them extra willpower and endurance during the battle, made them fight harder.

No matter. He'd have plenty of time to analyze the footage and determine what went wrong over the next few weeks.

He sighed and clicked off his palm computer. Last night's setback had cost him all two hundred of the sladebots he'd sent against the Titans, along with seventeen cameras, twenty-two bugging devices, and three spyware disks. It could take months to restore all of it.

Still, he thought, sliding his gaze back towards Terra, the night hadn't been a _complete_ loss.

He had been worried for a moment, when Terra had failed to check in and had gone off with Beast Boy against orders. He had been furious when she'd defied him, chosen to run, _again_ , instead of coming to him as she should. (He still thought he was letting her off easy by not making her pay for her disobedience. But, he reminded himself, controlling Terra required a much gentler hand. He couldn't just lose his temper with her. He had to be careful.)

In his anger, however, the changeling—Beast Boy—had said exactly the right words to drive Terra straight back to him. Slade had seen the devastation and hurt in Terra's face—hurt that she was now taking out on his sladebots—and knew that she would never trust the Titans again.

He imagined what must be going through her head. How she must be feeling. She was distraught, certainly, and angry. She was replaying the night over and over in her mind, and just as he could not change the outcome of his footage, she could not alter Beast Boy's words to make them something different. They'd cut her to the core, Slade knew, proved right every doubt and suspicion she'd ever had about the Titans. Like everyone she'd ever tried to befriend before, they had rejected her. Turned on her. Betrayed her.

And that left him as her only friend. Slade smirked to himself. Hadn't he warned her after all? That the moment the Titans knew the truth, they would turn their backs on her? And hadn't he been proven right, both the first time and this last? Wasn't he the one who'd never lied to her? Slade hadn't said, "I told you so." but he could tell Terra was thinking it all the same.

_Even now, she hears the echoes of my warnings and cautions in her ears_ , he thought. _She's berating herself for not listening, for foolishly hoping things might be different with the Titans._ He shook his head. _Dear child, it needn't have come to this. If you had only heeded me and avoided developing emotional attachments to the Titans, you wouldn't have been hurt._

But, he guessed, the child who burned her hand learned better not to touch the flame of a candle.

Terra hadn't said a word all night, ever since they'd gotten back to the Haunt, but Slade could read her like an open book, and knew the pain of Beast Boy's rejection was turning into anger inside her, and then into hatred against _all_ the Titans, and this hatred was blinding her with red-hot fury. She was so… vulnerable. A single sentence from him, a gentle touch… all she needed was a small nudge and she would teeter over the edge of the line she danced from hero to villain. She would topple into his camp completely. Even now the strands of his control were falling around her one by one.

Slade leaned back, crossing his arms and marveling at Terra's rage. She heaved boulders into sladebot chests, crushed their heads with sharp rocks, encircled their bodies with tendrils of earth and then tore them apart, dismembering them and tossing the fragmented pieces away. Her face was twisted and pinched, a thousand different emotions boiling under the surface. She barely saw her opponents, just reacted with swift and deadly force against them. Joints were broken. Bodies were beheaded with chilling precision. The chamber echoed and rang with the crumble and crash of moving earth, with the metallic bangs of impact and the fizzle of destruction. A sladebot came at her from the right. Terra sent a cluster of rocks at it, hurling through the air so fast they ripped right through the robot's armor and came out the other side, a straight through-and-through. Another leapt for her from the left. She slashed her hand through the air and a pillar of earth rushed down from the ceiling and flattened the sladebot to the ground. Slade straightened a fraction as a quartet of sladebots made to rush at her, signaling the end of the attack sequence she was running. Terra's eyes furrowed with a hot, burning glare. She spread her hands and yelled, tearing a fissure in the floor. Even from his distance Slade felt the ground quaking. One of the sladebots tumbled into the gap. The rest kept coming. Terra clenched her fists tight, breaking a massive piece of rock—bigger than anything she'd summoned yet—from the ground behind her and lifting it over her head. With a feral scream she threw it at the sladebots, turning them to paste instantly under the crushing weight of the boulder. The force of its landing shook the whole room; the deafening _BOOM_ reverberated through the air even after the dust settled and everything went still.

Terra stopped. She stood there, her hands still fisted at her sides, and just breathed, her lungs heaving in and out, sweat drenching her, staring blankly at the chaotic aftermath of her battle.

It was… _beautiful_. Slade had never been more proud of her. _That's my good girl_ , he thought, his eye gleaming. _That's the kind of focused devastation I knew you were capable of._

He looked over the damage with satisfaction. Not a single training drone remained. Slade stepped over for a closer look.

"You told me once…" Terra spoke up suddenly. Slade stilled, listening to her. "…that if I wanted to, I could become like you. That I could follow in your footsteps."

She turned around and met his gaze, her fists still clenched, her face hard and determined.

"I want that," she told him, tone firm, voice leaden.

Slade took a step closer, raising his eyebrow under his mask. An unexpected declaration, but hardly an unwelcome one. "Are you sure, Terra?" he asked her, for formality's sake since he could already tell she wouldn't be dissuaded. "Are you expressing the wish to take up the mantle of my legacy? To serve at my side, openly?"

"Yes," she said through her teeth.

Slade hid his pleasure as he came even closer, gestured vaguely in the direction of Titans Tower. "And my ongoing mission to rid Jump City of the Teen Titans… what of that? Is that also something you want?"

"I want revenge," she growled, expression venomous. Her eyes flashed with tranquil fury. "I wanna make them pay. I wanna make them _hurt._ " Her fists squeezed tighter on the last word for emphasis. "Just like they hurt me," she added under her breath.

This was almost more than he could have hoped for. Finally, all the manipulations—the gentle tug here, the whispered words there—were paying off, coming together. The sweet taste of success rippled over him. He'd broken her, cracked her defenses. Sealed her destiny irrevocably beside his.

Slade uncrossed his arms, leaned down on Terra's level. "What would you like me to do then, child?" he asked, almost whispering, the velvet words wrapping around her and drawing her close.

Terra's eyes looked plaintively at him. She breathed heavily.

"Teach me everything you know."

His single eye gleamed with victory. The night's defeat was all but washed away. Let the Titans have their feeble win. Let them have a month or two to breathe and recover. In the end, it mattered not. It was meaningless and hollow, and it would not save them.

Terra was his.

"My dear," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders, "I thought you'd never ask."

-TT-

Dr. Light tiptoed through the facility. Coming to the end of a hall, he peeked around the corner. A handful of guards stood around, keeping watch over the gold bullion. Nothing too hard to handle.

He charged up the palm canon in one of his hands, and then pointed it around the corner, turning his eyes away.

A ball of light energy blasted through the room, and the guards yelped as they were knocked away in all directions. When all was still, Dr. Light eased himself around the corner and snuck into the room.

So far, so good. Now if he was quick about it, he could maybe get what he wanted and leave before any of the Titans showed up.

He crept to the first stack of bullion, and made to step over the body of one of the guards.

"Hold it right there, Dr. Light!"

Oh _fiddlesticks_.

Dr. Light hid his cringe of chagrin as he turned to face the Titans leader. Robin was half-perched on the upper-story railing that ringed the room, striking an impressive heroic figure.

"How did you know I was here?" Dr. Light whined. What, were they psychic now?

Robin held up his communicator, which blinked with an alert notice about the villain's jailbreak. "You're not exactly subtle. And you've attempted this theft at least three times in a row now."

"It was only two times!" Dr. Light protested, jabbing his finger irritably. "That mishap on the front steps with the squeegee last week doesn't count!" To emphasize his point, he shot a light beam up at Robin.

The Boy Wonder flipped off the railing and leapt to the side, of course, as the beam melted through. Dr. Light charged up both hands and readied himself, taking steady aim at the Titan, who extended his staff and walked slowly forward along the balcony. Dr. Light kept Robin in his sights as he backed up, glancing around warily. He didn't see any of the others. Was Robin alone? Maybe he could still get away, if it was just the Boy Wonder.

But of course Robin _wasn't_ alone, as a hard sucker punch to the back of his helmet announced to him. Dr. Light flailed a moment, then grabbed the edges of his helmet, which had squeezed down to cover his eyes, and yanked it back up into proper place, just in time to see Starfire floating over to join Robin and hover by his side.

Dr. Light scowled. Screw it. He was out of here.

He aimed both hands at the floor and sent up a light blast that blinded the two Titans. Turning on his heel he made a beeline for the exit. He counted the doorways that passed on either side of him, keeping track of them.

_Four left, six right, five left…_ he recited.

He rounded a corner and nearly let out a swear as Cyborg stepped out from one of the other halls to block his path.

Grinning, the cybernetic teen lifted his sonic cannon. "If you come quietly I betcha your cell's still warm," he said.

"No thanks," Dr. Light replied, forming a light whip. "I'd rather spend my days as a free man, outside in the _light._ "

"That was a _terrible_ joke!" Cyborg groaned, shooting off a few blasts from his canon.

Dr. Light managed to dodge the first couple and slashed his whip through the last, disrupting the beam. He skidded and hopped his way forward, managing to squeeze around Cyborg and book it for the door. His lungs wheezed as he ran, the sounds of pursuit not far behind him.

A snarl came suddenly from the darkness. Dr. Light's eyes widened as he looked forward and saw a large green tiger lunging at him.

"HOLY WILIKERS!"

He managed to duck. The tiger sailed over his head and slid when it landed, scrabbling with its paws to stop its momentum. Dr. Light didn't wait to see if it recovered out of its skid, just kept on running. Something was worrying him. He'd already seen Robin and Starfire, and Cyborg, and the green tiger was certainly Beast Boy, so where was…?

On cue, a raspy voice spoke up from the left, almost in his ear.

"Hello, Dr. Light."

Dr. Light at once gave a high-pitched girly screech and threw himself to the floor.

"I surrender! I SURRENDER!" he cried, flinging his arms over his head and staying put right there.

Raven smirked to herself as she melted out of the shadows on the wall. Never failed.

Within moments, the other Titans had run up. Beast Boy whooped as he came and stood over Dr. Light next to Cyborg.

"Not so tough in the shadows, huh Dr. Light?"

Dr. Light just whimpered.

"Nice going Raven," Robin complimented, as he and Starfire joined them.

Raven tossed her hood back with a smile.

"Anyone up for pizza?" she asked.


	55. Practical Backfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally this chapter was meant to be pure humor but you know... fridge horror kicked in and I was like, "Wow, that could've actually been really awful." so there's some seriousness too.
> 
> I gave Robin a break and decided to let Beast Boy suffer this time. Laugh at his misfortune. Or cringe. Either one is the right response.

Boredom was something that never led to anything good for the Titans, at least when it concerned Beast Boy. The changeling's boredom had caused all of them to suffer at least one point or another. Usually as a direct result of one of his infamous practical jokes.

At any rate, it had been two days straight without any major crime alerts in the city and as such, Beast Boy was bored.

Very, very bored.

" _Raveeeeeeeeeen_ ," he whined loudly as they sat in the common room together.

Raven looked over the edge of her book with a glare.

"What?" she demanded flatly.

"I'm _bored_ ," he moaned, tossing his game controller over his shoulder. He had been listlessly playing through a level of Mega Monkeys 2, trying to quelch his raging ennui. It hadn't worked.

Raven took his declaration without much sympathy. "What do want _me_ to do about it?" she grumbled.

"I dunno," Beast Boy said, shrugging. He leaned back on his hands idly. "Nothing I guess. Just saying what I feel out loud."

The empath dropped her eyes back to her book. "Find a way to entertain yourself then," she told him. After a moment she added pointedly, "Preferably _not_ by annoying me."

Beast Boy sighed, and slouched down in his seat.

His mind drifted and he started thinking about practical jokes he could play. He hadn't done a good jump scare prank in a while. The entertainment factor gleaned from those was short-lived, but it never failed to cheer him up. He sifted through different possibilities.

Robin usually had pretty good reactions to his jump scares. Of course… afterwards he would yell at him, and usually made him go do chores as punishment. Beast Boy wasn't particularly keen to run the laundry or scrub out the fridge right now. So Robin was out.

Cyborg's reactions were hysterical but the half-robot liked to tattle on him, or pay him back later with a prank of his own.

Beast Boy straightened up slightly, scratching his chin. He hadn't pranked Starfire in a while. He tended not to prank her as often as he did the others, because of her sensitive nature. (And her ability to hold a grudge and make him feel _incredibly_ guilty.) But little things here and there—itching powder in her bed, telling her blatant lies about some aspect of Earth culture—kept satisfied him enough, and kept her on her toes.

_So…_ he wondered to himself, beginning to grin mischievously. _What could I do to Starfire?_

-TT-

After carefully observing the Tamaranian for the rest of the day, Beast Boy had decided upon the _perfect_ prank.

Ever since Starfire had gone through her Transformation, she had shown a heightened, particular aversion to spiders and crabs, and other multi-legged invertebrates. Spiders especially. Last night's movie marathon had included an old sci-fi classic with a brief scene involving a giant spider, crawling menacingly towards the trapped, screaming heroine caught in its web. At the first sight of the giant creepy crawly, Starfire had grabbed Robin's cape and flung it over her head to hide her eyes, and would not be consoled or coaxed out from under it until the scene ended. (Much to Robin's embarrassment.)

She was still jittery come the morning. Beast Boy watched her for a while before he casually sidled up to her as she stood at the counter, waiting for Cyborg to serve up her waffles. He ran his fingers lightly up her arm, mimicking the rhythm of insect legs.

She gasped sharply, nearly jumping out her skin. "Please!" she cried, slapping a palm over her the spot on arm where he'd touched her. "Do not do that!" she chided. The Tamaranian princess gave a full-body shudder. "It felt like a Rakonian snaphopper crawling up my arm."

"Sorry Star," Beast Boy apologized half-heartedly. Inwardly he was cackling and already plotting his next move.

After breakfast, Beast Boy made a beeline for his room, and dragged out his box of practical joke items from under his bed. He rummaged around through it, looking for his rubber spiders-on-a-string.

But a thorough search of the box failed to turn anything up. He even dumped the contents onto the floor and spread them out to be extra sure. No dice. No sign of a rubber spider anywhere.

Beast Boy sat back on his knees, confounded.

… _Well huh_ , he thought. _I must've lost them somewhere._

He shrugged. No worries. He could just turn into a spider himself.

He tossed the joy buzzers and whipped cream cans and whoopee cushions back into the box and shoved it back under the bed. Grinning broadly, he made his way to the common room, tiptoeing silently through the hallways.

-TT-

The changeling stopped just outside OPS, and put his ear to the door, listening. Starfire was still in there with Raven, making comments to the empath from time to time. Stifling his giggles, Beast Boy morphed into a fly to slip quietly under the door. He flew right up to the couch and then dropped to the floor behind it and shifted back to normal.

From over the top of the couch came Starfire's voice.

"I do not understand how the princess has feelings for this rascal," she was saying to Raven. "He seems a most unpleasant fellow and he does not show her any respect." There was the sound of a page turning. "Yet she is absolutely enamored with him."

Raven shrugged noncommittally, absorbed in her own reading. "Maybe he'll have some character development later and stop being so much of a jerk," she suggested.

"Perhaps…" Starfire mused.

The two girls fell silent a moment, their attentions returning to their reading material. Beast Boy bit his fist, muffling his laughter at the thought of what was to come, and morphed into a tarantula. Very slowly he climbed up and over the back of the couch, putting one spindly leg in front of another. He crept closer and closer to Starfire, until he could almost touch her shoulder. Emboldened and full of confidence, Beast Boy reached out a foot and gently tapped Starfire's skin.

She glanced over.

…Then she leaped straight up from the couch with a jerk, letting out the most shrill and magnificent scream of terror Beast Boy had ever heard.

Unfortunately she also raised the book over her head.

Beast Boy had a split-second, before it came down on him, in which to think:

_In hindsight, this was not actually a very good idea._

-TT-

_WHAM!_

Raven jumped as Starfire bolted up with a shriek and slammed her book down on something on the back of the couch. Starfire stood back for a moment from the thing she had just squashed, wide-eyed with terror, clutching the book close to her chest. She raised it again for another swat, and Raven looked over to see that Starfire had just squished a spider.

A _green_ spider.

Raven's heart jolted and her eyes widened with panic as she jumped up, raising her hands and grabbing Starfire's arms to stop her. "Starfire _wait!_ That's _Beast Boy!_ " she cried.

The book fell to the carpeted floor behind Starfire as she dropped it with a gasp, and covered her mouth with her hands, horrified.

The empath was already bending over the pitiful green lump of twisted furry legs. "Beast Boy!" she called frantically. " _Beast Boy!_ Are you all right?"

With some effort, the shape-shifted managed to morph back to normal. Albeit his body still resembled the tightly curled squished tarantula he'd been moments earlier, limbs tangled all around him in awkward, painful-looking positions.

"Ow…" he groaned weakly.

Raven's emotions were a conflicted jumble and she didn't know whether to laugh or grimace. Or puke. She was pretty sure arms were not supposed to bend that way.

Starfire babbled apologies through her hands. "I am sorry!" she burst out, her face scrunching from distress. "I am so, _so_ sorry Beast Boy!" She sounded like she might burst into hysterical tears at any moment. "I did not realize it was you!"

Beast Boy just looked rather ruefully at her from his upside-down position.

"Hold… hold still," Raven told him, hesitantly reaching forward. "I'll see if I can get you untangled."

"Okay…" Beast Boy squeaked.

It was a slow process, agonizing in more ways than one. Raven resorted to keeping her hands charged with her blue-white healing energy the whole time, pressing her palms to Beast Boy's limbs and holding them there a good long while before she even thought about shifting an arm or uncurling a leg.

"Ow… ow… ow…" Beast Boy moaned softly as she worked, which elicited fresh rounds of "I am sorry! I am so sorry!"s from Starfire.

Slowly Raven peeled his arms and legs away from his body, back into their regular human configurations, and straightened him out. She and Starfire sat him up carefully on the back of the couch. Beast Boy's head drooped almost immediately.

"Are… are you okay?" Starfire warbled worriedly.

"Everything _hurts_ …" the changeling groaned. "I'm sorry, Star. That was really, really dumb."

"Just be glad she only hit you with a paperback," Raven droned sharply. More gentle now, she reached out for Beast Boy to help support him and said, "Come on. Let's get you to the infirmary."

"Okay," Beast Boy rasped, letting the girls take him gingerly by the arms and help him up.

-TT-

Cyborg and Robin returned to the Tower laughing and in good spirits. They'd been out at the auto parts store on an errand initially, but then had stopped by the arcade to relax and unwind for a little bit. Naturally the two had gotten into a bit of a friendly competition that they were still ribbing each other about as they made their way through the halls.

"You can say what you want," Cyborg said. "I _totally_ had you on that last turbo round."

"If that actually makes you feel better about losing, go ahead and keep telling yourself that," Robin laughed.

The half-robot wrapped an arm around Robin's neck, capturing him in a loose headlock and mussing up his hair. "You _smug_ little—" he threatened playfully.

Robin wriggled discontentedly in the hold. "Cut that out!" he protested. After a while he managed to slip free from Cyborg's arms and set about putting his hair back in order. The door to OPS slid open and Robin looked around the empty room. "Where is everyone?" he wondered.

Cyborg also glanced around in confusion. "Yeah…" he agreed. "The Tower seems weirdly quiet." He raised his arm and pressed to talk through his embedded communicator. "Hey Raven, Starfire, what's up? Where've ya'll gone off to?"

"Uh…" came Raven's voice, and from her tone it sounded like she was reluctant to say. "We're in the medical bay. We had a little… mishap," she explained.

Robin stepped forward anxiously. "Are you both okay?"

" _We're_ not the ones that are hurt." There came a resigned sigh over the channel. "You'd better get down here. It'll be easier to explain in person."

Cyborg and Robin exchanged a look, but turned around and headed downstairs to the medical bay. Robin opened the door and the two stepped in with mild apprehension. The sight that met their eyes was, well… it might _almost_ have been comical if it wasn't also so horrifying. Beast Boy was sprawled out on one of the beds, every one of his limbs encased in bandages, splints, or a cast. Raven leaned over him, applying yet more plaster around the changeling's left wrist. Starfire stood nearby, watching the process with her hands covering her face, expression upset and anxious.

Robin stared in shock for a moment. "What—" He stepped forward a few worried paces. "What _happened?_ "

Raven grimaced as she looked over towards them. "Starfire hit Beast Boy with a book," she explained.

Cyborg pointed at Beast Boy incredulously. "Nuh-uh. All that from—"

"While he was in spider form," Raven finished.

"Oh..." Cyborg's face twisted in understanding.

Starfire let out a cry, dropping her hands and running to stand before Robin. "I did not mean to, Robin! It was an accident!" she wailed. "He startled me and when I saw the spider I did not think and I just—" Her features crumpled with distress. "Oh!" She buried her face in her palms, her shoulders shaking with hysterical sobs.

The Boy Wonder stepped forward at once, putting his hands on her arms. "Hey. _Hey,_ " he called. "It's okay, Starfire. I believe you," he told her.

"Yeah Star…" Beast Boy croaked from the bed. "S'not your fault."

Robin pulled the agitated girl into him for a hug. "All right," he sighed. "How bad is it?" he plied Raven.

"It looks worse than it is, actually," she said. "He did have a number of broken bones but I've mostly fixed those. I was a little worried about internal trauma but he seems to have protected himself okay from that." She finished wrapping the changeling's wrist and sat back from the bed, surveying her work. "So we're looking at about twenty, twenty-five bone fractures."

"Ouch," Cyborg said, wincing.

"Guess I'll be laid up for a while huh?" Beast Boy joked with a faint smile.

Cyborg put his hands on his hips. "Man, what did you do? And don't try to tell me this somehow isn't your fault."

Beast Boy hesitated a moment, making a reluctant, embarrassed face. Then he mumbled, "I was trying to prank Starfire. I thought it'd be funny to sneak up on her in spider form and crawl down her arm."

"And was it?" Cyborg asked darkly.

"Well… it was for about half a second." He sat up slightly on the bed, shifting his head up a bit on the pillow. "I'm really sorry, Star. I shouldn't have scared you like that."

"You shouldn't have scared _me_ like that either," Raven muttered under her breath.

Starfire just sobbed harder, guilt choking up her throat. "Why are you apologizing?" she gasped through her tears. "I am the one who very nearly caused you mortal injury!" She smeared her hands under her eyes repeatedly, in a futile attempt to stop her leaking. "Oh, I am such a _bad friend!_ "

Robin gave a heavy sigh and turned her toward the door. "C'mon Starfire," he said, guiding her out. "Let's get you some tissues." Over his shoulder he called back to the others, "I'll see if I can calm her down. Cyborg, you take some x-rays and have Raven look over them to see if there's any more she can do."

"Got it," the half-robot acknowledged, moving over to the hospital equipment.

"I'll be back in a little bit," Robin promised, right before he and Starfire disappeared around the corner.

Beast Boy let out a soft groan. "He'll be back to scold me, he means," he said.

"Nah, you think?" came Raven's biting comment. Her features softened and she straightened, leaning over for a look at the changeling's wrist. "Hold still a moment, and let me see how that plaster is drying," she instructed.

"You're the doctor," he said weakly.

-TT-

Robin returned in about twenty minutes. Cyborg had already left after finishing up with the x-rays. Raven hovered around his bedside a little longer, making one final check to be sure she'd done all she could for him. Robin met her outside the door and Beast Boy could hear the two of them speaking to each other, Raven no doubt giving Robin the report on his condition.

Finally, Raven moved off and the Boy Wonder stepped into the infirmary, shutting the door behind him with a long-suffering sigh. Robin turned to face the changeling, rubbing a hand over his temple wearily.

"Starfire's inconsolable," he said, and every syllable sounded tired.

"I figured," Beast Boy acknowledged with a slight rasp.

Robin moved to stand at the foot of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," Beast Boy said. "Achey. Stiff all over."

The Boy Wonder crossed his arms and fixed him with a stern look.

_Aaaaand here it comes,_ thought Beast Boy. He pushed himself upright on the bed, resigned.

"You realize you could have been really seriously hurt by pulling that stunt right?" Robin asked him pointedly.

Beast Boy just nodded and mumbled, "Uh-huh."

"And possibly even killed?"

"Uh-huh."

"And Starfire would have never, ever, forgiven herself for it?"

"Uh-huh."

A beat.

Robin waved for Beast Boy to continue. "So?" he prompted.

"I won't do it again." At the skeptical look he received, Beast Boy added earnestly. "No really! I promise. No more spider scares." His ears drooped down as he added, "Scratch that, no more pranking Starfire period."

"Good," Robin said, nodding in satisfaction. A little gentler now, he said, "You should know better than to play pranks on Starfire, Beast Boy. She's more sensitive than the rest of us, and she doesn't take them as well."

Beast Boy hung his head. "I know." _Plus it always seems to backfire horribly on me whenever I prank Starfire._

Robin grinned. "I'd bench you from coming on missions for a while but I think you've suffered enough punishment."

"It'd be kind of pointless anyway," Beast Boy grumbled. "Raven says I'll be laid up for at least three weeks."

Was Robin snickering? Beast Boy could've _sworn_ he heard Robin snicker. When he glared accusingly at the Boy Wonder though, Robin just smiled at him, placing his hand on the bedrail.

"Get some rest," he instructed. "I'll send Cyborg to check on you in a little while." He headed back out of the medical bay.

Beast Boy glowered at his receding form, stewing in the knowledge that he'd be stuck in bed for most of the next few weeks and _not_ at all looking forward to it. Now that all the earlier excitement of that day had died down, he was bored again. Go figure.

"You could at least bring in a television!" he shouted at Robin's back.


	56. Suspicion

"All right, KF. Thanks anyway," she sighed.

"I'd zip over there and check on them myself but Mirror Master just broke out of prison and the Big Flash needs me to help track him down," the speedster told her apologetically.

Bumblebee waved him off with one hand while she put the other to her face tiredly. "I'll keep trying," she told him. "Bumblebee out."

She hit the button to disconnect. Silence reigned for a few moments. Bumblebee's fingers started tapping out a nervous rhythm on the desk. She rested her cheek in her palm, staring past rather than at the computer screen, her brows furrowed and making deep creases in her forehead. She studied some unseen mystery inside the bits, her eyes deep with concern. She crossed, and then uncrossed her legs.

Behind her, the door opened, and Speedy stepped in, patting his face dry with the towel around his neck. He frowned when he saw her still sitting there, in front of the main computer, as she had been before his workout.

"You haven't moved at all, have you?" he guessed.

Bumblebee didn't stir from her musing, reaching over and sliding her Titans communicator closer to her. "Kid Flash hasn't heard from Robin either," she relayed.

Speedy rubbed water out of the inside of his ear. "So?"

" _So,_ " Bumblebee emphasized, swiveling in her chair to face him, "no one in the Titans network has heard from him _or_ Titans West in at least twenty-five days." She crossed her arms. "That doesn't strike you as just a _little_ weird?"

The archer shrugged. "Like I said earlier, they probably just went off on a space mission."

"Without telling anyone?" Bumblebee countered. "Or making sure there was someone to cover Jump City while they're gone?"

"They've left Jump before without calling in someone to babysit," Speedy argued, walking up to join her at the console.

"Not since we fought the Brotherhood," she reminded him. She leaned back in her chair, looking over her shoulder and frowning intently at the computer screen. "I'm telling you. Something's just not right."

Speedy looked up at the ceiling long-sufferingly. " _Or_ everything's perfectly fine and you're making mountains out of molehills," he shot back.

Bumblebee didn't rise to the bait, which surprised him. Instead, she just sat there looking pensive and concerned, eventually grabbing her communicator again and flipping it open.

"I'm going to try the Tower again," she said.

Speedy resisted the urge to groan. He crossed over to the conference table and took a seat, while Bumblebee attempted to connect to Titans West for perhaps the thirtieth time that day.

A sloshing _whoosh_ could be heard suddenly from down below, beneath the balcony. Moments later Aqualad's figure appeared over the railing, riding a cresting wave up from the pool. The Atlantian stepped casually off the wave onto the railing and from there down to the floor, releasing the wave to slide smoothly back down into the pool.

"Oh good. You're here," Speedy said, by way of greeting. He waved an annoyed hand towards Bumblebee. "Can you please tell our esteemed leader that she's being overly paranoid?"

Aqualad frowned, coming over. "What's going on now?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Bumblebee glanced at him as she explained. "Okay, so, yesterday morning when I tried to call in to give Robin the monthly report, ten o'clock our time, as scheduled, I got no answer from him."

"Something could have come up on his end. He might have been in the middle of stopping a crime," Aqualad pointed out.

"That's what I thought at fist," Bumblebee said. "But then I tried again later and still nothing. So then I tried Cyborg, and Starfire, and the rest and none of them responded either. For a while I just figured they were on a stakeout or something and had to maintain radio silence. I left a message. I never heard back."

Aqualad took this in and nodded slowly. "Okay… odd," he acknowledged. Robin was usually pretty punctual about responding to messages, especially the monthly reports that all the Titan branches were required to exchange with him.

A hint of smugness came to Bumblebee's face. Finally _someone_ else believed something was… off. "So then I started calling around, asking the other branches you know, and it turns out _nobody's_ heard from Titans West in almost four weeks." She set aside her communicator, which had been waiting for a response from the Titans West Tower all that time, and swiveled around in her computer chair, folding her arms as she prepared to dish her trump card, the tidbit of info she _knew_ would raise the hydrokinetic's red flags, as it had raised hers. "And get this: Robin hasn't called any of the other branches for _their_ reports either."

The Atlantian made a face, halfway between a grimace and a flinch of worry. "That's… not like him," he admitted.

"Exactly!" Bumblebee declared, triumphant, shooting a pointed look at Speedy.

The archer just rolled his eyes.

Aqualad leaned against the console, mulling over what Bumblebee had told him. "So… complete silence from Titans West means what exactly?" he asked.

Bumblebee's smugness disappeared in an instant and she cast a wary eye on her communicator, still waiting and waiting for someone on the other end to make the connection and open the channel. "I don't know..." she said softly. "I just… I have this horrible gut feeling. Something's just not right," she repeated.

"I'm telling you, they're probably just off on a space mission and forgot to let us know beforehand," Speedy insisted.

Bumblebee rounded on him. "Robin doesn't _forget_ to leave someone watching Jump," she growled. "Maybe you think I'm being paranoid but _I_ think the Titans being out of contact for almost a month can mean _nothing_ good. And if I'm right? Then something serious is up and it's up to us to fix it!"

Speedy held up his hands in placating surrender, sighing. "Okay, look, if it makes you feel better, keep calling around. I'm sure _someone's_ heard from them."

The Titans East leader glared at him. Why could he not just _admit_ that her instincts were pinging for a good reason? Sure, sometimes her gut had been wrong. She didn't know anyone who hadn't over-worried for nothing at least once or twice. But with such a strong mountain of evidence piling up that Something Was Terribly Wrong she couldn't understand why the boy kept insisting that everything was fine. It was infuriating.

She simmered down and decided to cut him some slack, in spite of her frustration. Maybe he just didn't like entertaining the thought that something bad had happened to Titans West. She knew _she_ certainly didn't like the idea.

After thinking a few moments, Bumblebee rolled out the landline phone from its drawer, and brought out her small notebook of emergency contact numbers. She thumbed through the pages, flicking past the info for the Titans' civilian identities (and those of their families, if they had them) and quickly found the section for her Jump City contacts. After their last sojourn looking after the place while Titans West was off stopping the Brotherhood's schemes around the world, Bumblebee had exchanged contact information with the mayor, the police commissioner, and several other key city officials, just in case they needed to contact Titans East again.

Or vice-versa, in this case.

She started with the police commissioner. After getting a bit of a run-around with the station's phone system, she was finally put through to the man himself.

"This better be important," he grumbled, once he picked up. "I've got Cinderblock _and_ Overload having a field day in the Tech Sector right now."

"Commissioner Brody?" Bumblebee addressed him respectfully. "It's Bumblebee, leader of Titans East. I'm trying to get ahold of Robin. Do you know where he might be? He isn't picking up his communicator."

"Hell if I know," the man's voice grunted, irritable. "Been too busy to breathe. If you see the Titans tell 'em to stop slacking off and help us out here. We're getting slammed."

_Click!_

"…Sir? Sir?" Bumblebee called into the phone. As the dial tone filled her ears, she blew out an, " _Ugh._ " and hung up herself, moving down to the next contact number, Mayor Parker. She avoided the run-around this time by dialing in straight to the man's personal cell.

"Ah! Hello Miss Bumblebee!" he greeted cheerfully, after she'd identified herself. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

He sounded like he was genuinely happy to hear from her. Bumblebee managed a tired smile. "Well sir, I'm actually having a little trouble getting ahold of Titans West right now. One of my teammates thinks they're off in space again or something. Do you know where they might be or how I can get in touch with them?"

The Mayor's voice shifted in tone so suddenly it was unsettling. "Oh dear," came his sigh. "I had hoped… They are not visiting you then?" he asked. "Helping you on a big case?"

Next to her she could feel Aqualad and Speedy straighten, and lean in closer to hear the conversation. She glanced towards them soberly as she replied. "No. They're not."

At a prolonged silence on the other end, a roiling anxiety started to churn in the pit of her stomach.

"Mayor Parker?"

"I'm still here," he assured her. "I'm just disappointed I guess. I was hoping the Titans had called you to come in and help custodian the city."

"Yeeeeeah," Bumblebee drawled, glancing awkwardly at her two teammates, now standing behind her in order to listen. "I just finished talking to Commissioner Brody. It sounds like you've got your hands full." She shook her head. "We haven't heard from them."

"That is very troubling…" he mused. "It isn't like Robin to not make sure there's someone watching the city in the Titans' absence."

Under her breath, Bumblebee voiced a soft, "I know." Aloud, she asked, "Major Parker, when was the last time you saw the Titans?"

There was a hum from the other end. "Hm, let's see… I think it was towards the beginning of this month. Monday, I believe," the mayor told her. "A new villain was causing a disruption in Greens Park. The civilians cleared the area pretty quickly on their own—they're used to this kind of thing by now, you know—and the Titans went right in to put a stop to it. Chased him all down Westmoore Boulevard and into the warehouse district I heard."

"Who's this new villain?" Aqualad asked abruptly, tilting over Bumblebee's shoulder and rudely pulling the mouthpiece of the phone away from her and closer to him, earning him a sour glare from the girl.

"It isn't terribly clear," Mayor Parker said. "Police and witness accounts are vague. He seems to be calling himself 'The Disruptor' and apparently he has a swarm of robotic drone minions."

Bumblebee yanked the mouthpiece back from Aqualad and shoved him away to give herself some space. "Did the Titans catch him?" she asked into the phone.

The worry was clear in the man's voice as he replied, "No, in fact, Disruptor has been making regular rampages in the city ever since then. Strangely enough he doesn't steal anything, just causes a bunch of damage and panic and keeps demanding to be put through to the current HIVE headmaster." The mayor's voice was pensive as he added, "Even interrupted a heist by the new HIVE Five once to make his demands."

Her heart was doing a quick, anxious pace inside her chest. "And… you say you haven't seen the Titans since they fought him?"

"That's correct, Miss Bumblebee. They haven't been seen around Jump City at all since then."

"And there haven't been any, I dunno, any Slade sightings? Emergency distress signals from Tamaran? Priority calls from the League? Anything like that?" she queried further.

"Not to my knowledge."

More red flags were raising in Bumblebee's head. New villain, Titans missing, crime left unchecked... The picture all these things were painting in her head was getting worse by the second.

She made a quick decision.

Lifting the phone a little higher she said, "Mayor Parker? I'm bringing my team in to help. We'll leave immediately and should be there in—" She checked the time on the computer display. "—approximately four to five hours, depending on the weather between us and Jump. Get me everything you guys know about this Disruptor and the Titans' last fight with him and have Commissioner Brody pipe it in via frequency…" She grabbed the computer mouse and hovered it over an icon on the desktop, then squinted and leaned in to read the lettering. "…Zero-seven-five-six-eight-two-one-J."

"Understood. I'll get on it right away," the mayor promised.

"Bumblebee out."

She dropped the phone onto its cradle to hang up. She stared at it in silence, her mind already making plans for what to do next. Behind her, Aqualad and Speedy exchanged glances.

"Okay… _now_ I'm worried," Speedy admitted, looking truly concerned for the first time that day.

Bumblebee didn't have it in her to take any satisfaction in his concession. She couldn't be smug about this. Not anymore. There was only room for a nervous, churning anxiety.

She rolled back and stood up from her chair, pressing the Tower's intercom button as she did so.

"Más, Menos, you boys get up here quick," she ordered.

They didn't need to be told twice and appeared in seconds with a rush of wind.

_"Qué hay Señora Bumblebee?"_ asked Más, noticing their leader's troubled countenance. _"Tú pareces preocupada."_

"Titans West is missing," she told them simply. "You and Aqualad start getting the T-ship ready to launch."

_"Desaparecidos?"_ Más repeated with a gasp.

_"Ay ay!"_ chimed Menos in dismay.

Then they both chorused, _"Vamos!"_ and zipped off in a red and white blur.

-TT-

Pushing the T-ship to its terrestrial limit, Titans East managed to make it to Jump City in just under four hours. Even that seemed unbearably long to Bumblebee, the tension straining her nerves to the breaking point. She kept an outward cool though, not giving in to panic and keeping a calm and level head. The others followed her example, keeping quiet and not voicing the worry they all shared for their West Coast friends, as much as it bit away at their hearts.

A light pinged on in Bumblebee's pod. She stirred and leaned forward to look at the display.

"Okay, the police reports on Disruptor are coming in now," she reported.

Aqualad glanced at his own display and frowned. "He doesn't seem all that tough. Are we sure he's the one behind the Titans' disappearing?"

"He shows up, he fights the Titans, and then the Titans _stop_ showing up to fight crimes," Speedy pointed out. "Could be coincidence but it's a pretty _big_ coincidence," he added, glancing towards Bumblebee's pod. "So what's the plan, Bee?"

Bumblebee nudged the steering control slightly left, to start bringing them in for a landing. "First thing to do is check at the Tower. If they aren't there then at least we can request a trace on their comms." She shook her head. "I would've tried that first thing but…" she trailed off.

"You don't have the new codes," Aqualad finished for her.

The corner of her mouth lifted wryly. "Robin was _supposed_ to give them to me yesterday, when I called in."

"Which obviously didn't happen," Speedy added under his breath. After the whole affair with the Brotherhood of Evil, Robin had implemented new security procedures to make sure no one could use the communicators' locator signals against them again. Any one individual device could only trace the communicators belonging to the owner's team. Getting the location of anyone outside of that required inputting a security passcode. Robin changed the codes every month, and personally contacted each team's leader to issue the new ones. With an outdated code, Titans East couldn't just tap into the GPS system to find the Titans. (Which would certainly have made things a lot easier for them.) Only the mainframe in Titans Tower had clearance to bypass the security passcodes. So that was obviously their first stop.

Aqualad nodded. The plan made sense to him. "I just hope their locators aren't deactivated. Or being blocked. Or not being kept with them."

Menos piped in, adding what was surely another potential complication to the list.

"Easy boys," Bumblebee cautioned them. "Let's not get carried away here. One thing at a time."

_"Perdón, Señora Bumblebee,"_ Menos apologized sheepishly.

"ETA seven minutes," Bumblebee said, glancing out the window. "Start the landing sequence."

Speedy reached forward and flicked a few switches. "Vents flushed, turning to point two-five-seven."

The T-ship banked slowly to the right as it circled the still, silent Tower.

-TT-

It was quieter still on the inside. Their carpet-muffled footsteps sounded unnaturally loud, as the five of them stepped into the entrance hall.

Más and Menos jetted off at once, zipping to and fro throughout the Tower.

_"Starfire? Señorita Starfire? Señor Cyborg? Dondé estáis ustedes?"_ Speedy heard them calling every so often.

Bumblebee led the way to the elevator. The twins could sweep the Tower faster than any of them, so they just made a beeline for OPS.

No sooner had they reached it, in fact, then the twins reappeared, skidding to a perfect stop just inside the door.

" _No hay nadie aquí,_ " Menos reported.

Speedy frowned as he passed by the kitchen table, upon which was a cold, half-full cup of tea and a chessboard with a game in-progress, the pieces standing idle in a blended formation. "Looks like they left in a hurry, though."

"They didn't even lock down the Tower," Aqualad noticed.

The archer nodded. The ease of their entrance and passage through the Tower meant that the building's security measures hadn't been employed before the Titans had left. They'd clearly intended to come right back.

Bumblebee had already seated herself at one of the computer terminals and was checking through the communications log. The entries scrolled by slowly on her screen.

Aqualad came to look over her shoulder. "No distress signals from Tamaran?" he guessed.

"A lot of calls in—mostly crime alerts—but none from Tamaran," she confirmed. She clicked through a few more entries, then straightened. "Okay, here's the first alert about Disruptor." She brought the log up on the main screen. "Calls out from the Tower abruptly stop after that. The rest of the entries are incoming." She pointed to a set of entries about halfway up the list. "There are all my calls."

Más bit his lip and Menos scrunched up his face worriedly. Wordlessly, the two grabbed hands and made another sweep of the Tower. They stopped in each empty room, double-checking the closets and corners. They noted more signs of the Titans' quick departure on this second sweep, from the tools left scattered on Cyborg's worktable in the garage to the unsorted papers left on Robin's desk in the evidence room to the drool-coated chewed-up trail of objects left by a very hungry Silkie.

Not too soon afterwards the grub himself made himself known by flinging himself into Menos's arms as the boys opened up Starfire's closet. Menos grunted in surprise and fell back on his butt, caught off-guard by the larva's robust leap.

Silkie nuzzled into Menos's front, whining and gurgling in distress. Menos held the grub up to eye level and smiled reassuringly at him.

_"Está bien, Silkie. Estamos aquí ahora. No te preocupes,"_ he told him.

The grub gave a forlorn moan, glancing to the side towards Starfire's empty bed.

Más came and patted him on the head comfortingly. " _Si, encontraremos tú madre pronto._ " Sharing a worried look with his brother he added to himself. " _Yo espero._ "

Silkie just whined again, flailing his stubby feet, so Más and Menos rushed back to the common room, zipping through the cabinets in an effort to locate some food for the poor creature. (Fortuitously there was a canister of groopy worm food in the back of the fridge. The container was ice-crusted and the stuff itself was rank and clearly out of date but Silkie perked up immediately upon seeing it and proceeded to devour it with no hesitations.)

Meanwhile, Bumblebee was all set to try the trace on the Titans' communicators. Her fingers poised over the button.

"Okay guys," she said, "here goes. Keep your fingers crossed."

Más and Menos glanced up from attending to Silkie and everyone looked anxiously towards the screen. For a few milliseconds after Bumblebee pressed the key the screen was blank, searching.

Then, the map grid appeared. And half a breath later the icons that marked each of the five Titans, curiously grouped together in nearly the same spot, in the abandoned section of the warehouse district.

Titans East released a simultaneous, audible sigh of relief.

"So at least whoever has the Titans' comms isn't smart enough to turn 'em off or destroy 'em," Speedy figured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

_"Para qué estamos esperando? Vamos!"_ the twins urged. _"Más y Menos, si_ _—"_

"Hold up a second, boys," interrupted Bumblebee sternly.

Their hands froze a hair's breath apart.

Speedy took a computer terminal of his own and scanned their info on Disruptor. "If this Disruptor person _is_ behind the Titans' disappearance—"

"Which he is," Bumblebee growled, quite certain of it now.

Speedy didn't confirm or deny her suspicions, merely continued, "—then he managed to take them out somehow."

Aqualad nodded in agreement. "We need to be careful."

Bumblebee was reading over the police reports, picking out all the relevant information on their foe. "Witness accounts claim he wears some kind of technologically advanced suit. He can redirect the flow of water and electricity, and he's surrounded by at least five of his drones at all times." She sat back, folding her arms. "We'll have to watch out for those. They have incinerating lasers and taser prongs." She stood up from the chair. "But we won't know much more until we get a closer look. Titans!"

They straightened into alertness.

"Go!" Bumblebee ordered.

The twins disappeared in a red and white blur and they turned as one towards the door.

-TT-

"I'll say this for Disruptor: he doesn't seem too worried about people finding his hideout," Speedy commented dryly.

The five of them perched on the rooftop, just across from the decrepit, derelict former chemical lab. Peeling yellow signage with fading black letters declared the building to be part of EXCO—a defunct company that had long since moved out of the facility, leaving it to gather cobwebs and rust.

Patrolling in slow, measured patterns around the building were a dozen or so of Disruptor's drones. Yellow and roughly egg-shaped, with black beetle-like legs and appendages sprouting from underneath their bodies and eerie round red eyes mounted on their heads, they looked unsettlingly like giant foot-long insects, a mental picture not helped by the faint buzzing they emitted as they floated to and fro, keeping watch.

"They look a little like the battle training drones HIVE uses," Aqualad noticed. He looked to Bumblebee. "Think he's an aspiring student?"

"Probably not, given his frequent sabotage of HIVE's dealings," she answered.

"Unless he's doing that to discredit his future classmates and make them look bad," Speedy considered.

Bumblebee sat up from her low crouch, putting her hands on her hips. "He's certainly gunning for HIVE's attention, at any rate." She thought a moment, then decided their next move. "Más, Menos, take out those patrols. Then we're going in through that service door on the east side."

The twins saluted and dashed off, Más hopping up on Menos's shoulders. He reached up and grabbed hold of the first drone they met. As Menos ran them around the perimeter, Más smashed his drone into the others like a high-speed cue ball. The twins came full circle in seconds and Más hurled his drone to the pavement to break it. It sparked and sputtered like the rest of its destroyed brethren.

Furtively, Bumblebee took to the air and led the way to the service door, Speedy and Aqualad hopping down to street level and following behind her. The twins appeared next to them as they flanked the door. Speedy drew an arrow back on the string and Bumblebee readied her stingers. She looked across to Aqualad and nodded. Aqualad stepped back, wound up, and with his inborn Atlantian strength kicked open then heavy door.

It gave a sharp _bang!_ as it slammed inward. Titans East quickly filed in, raising their guard against anything that might attack them.

The hallway was clear, so they proceeded down it, wary and on guard. Everyone kept deadly silent, hardly daring to breathe lest they alert someone of their presence.

There was a sliver of light peeking out from under the door that led into the main chamber. They crept up to it and Bumblebee waved Speedy forward to check.

The archer gently nudged the door with his foot and peeked through the crack, outwardly calm though he felt a quiet dread from the myriad of horrible scenarios he could picture finding inside. None of these ghastly mental pictures emerged just yet, as he scanned the cross-section of the chamber he could see.

The room beyond was dimly lit, and hummed with active machinery. Speedy's eyes panned across, seeing a worktable covered over with a cloth, a panel of obviously new communications equipment, and, sitting in a chair and tapping the console impatiently, a red-clad figure. Speedy peered closer, then flinched back as an irritated raised voice rose up from the figure.

"What is _taking_ so long?" he complained to no one but himself.

Speedy stepped away from the crack and whispered, "Bad Guy at eleven-o'-clock."

Bumblebee nodded, then placed her palm flat against the door and gently pushed it open. All of them tensed as it slowly swung inwards, waiting for it to creak. Miraculously, the hinges were oiled and the door opened without even a squeak. Even more luckily, Disruptor would not have noticed if it _had_ creaked, involved now in a heated conversation with the person whose response he'd been waiting for, whose face now occupied the large screen above his head. Bumblebee recognized her as one of the members of HIVE's Executive Council.

And she was none too pleased at Disruptor's call.

"Who is this?" she demanded. "This channel is encrypted! Only active HIVE members and students are authorized to use it!"

Disruptor held up one of HIVE's standard issue hexagonal communicators. "Palmed this off of one of your 'top alumni'," he growled.

"Oh, it's _you_ ," the HIVE Councilwoman spat, her nose scrunching in disgust. "What the hell do _you_ want?"

"You know perfectly well what I want," said Disruptor through gritted teeth. "I've told your sorry excuses for students over and over again."

"Is this about 'Brains' Beldon's bid for a seat on the Council?" she huffed. "You can tell your old man that it's going to take more than sending his brat to screw with our operations to browbeat us into letting him on."

"He doesn't know I'm doing this and I'm not trying to browbeat anyone!" Disruptor snapped. "I'm offering HIVE a bargain."

"HIVE doesn't bargain with mobsters, kid. Come back when your dad hits the big leagues and starts smuggling anti-meta tech instead of drugs and firearms."

Disruptor leapt from his seat, livid. "Unacceptable!" he yelled. "I demand to speak to Brother Blood!"

"Brother Blood is still locked up in prison in Steel City. He's not Headmaster anymore," the Councilwoman replied, folding her arms. "The Council is in charge of HIVE affairs now, for the time being. So unless you're offering a formal apology for your interference in our business, I suggest you stop wasting our time."

Throughout the whole argument, Titans East had kept quiet, surveying the rest of the room. Directly across from them was a metal railing and ramp that led down into a small antechamber. When EXCO was running things, it had been a storage space for the water they used in their filtration system. But now…

_"Mira!"_ gasped Menos quietly, pointing.

There was a row of four tall glass cylinders, set on raised metal bases, filled with a clear blue liquid—water or something else, they didn't know. And floating in those cylinders, silent and motionless, were four of the five Titans.

"Oh man…" breathed Speedy.

All four of them hung limply in the fluid, still save for the rustling of their hair and clothes, their eyes closed. Some kind of apparatus was attached to their faces, over the mouth and nose.

_"Estás_ _—"_ Más began to ask.

"No, look," Aqualad interrupted, pointing to the trickles of bubbles that escaped around the breathing apparatus with every exhale. The Titans were alive, at least.

Bumblebee's eyes were darting about, searching. "Where's Cyborg?" she hissed.

"There he is," Speedy said, spotting the half-robot better from his vantage point on the left side of the door. He was on another worktable just past the glass cylinders, disassembled and deactivated, his pieces strewn across the table.

Más and Menos muttered something decidedly angry-sounding, at the sight.

Disruptor, meanwhile, was trying to keep the HIVE Councilwoman on the line.

"I have something you want," he offered.

The Councilwoman rolled her eyes. "I sincerely doubt it." She reached to press the button to disconnect.

"Oh, so HIVE _isn't_ interested in the whereabouts of the Titans?" Disruptor asked, smug grin on his face.

The Councilwoman froze mid-reach. She was silent a long moment, the wheels turning behind her eyes, considering.

"What do you know about the Titans?" she finally asked, cautiously.

"Haven't you been wondering where they've been?" Disruptor leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms with a self-satisfied look that made Titans East want to punch him in the face. "Well let me put you at ease," he continued. "I've got them. And I'm willing to hand them over to HIVE custody."

The Councilwoman was pensive only a moment. "All right, you've got my attention," she admitted. "You give us the Titans, in exchange for what?"

"Put my father on the Council."

"Of course," she nodded, expecting Disruptor's answer.

"Five Titans for one Council seat. It's a fair trade. The android alone should secure my father's position."

"Yes, well…" The Councilwoman cleared her throat. "With Brother Blood's incarceration we do have an open vacancy. Once you've delivered us the Titans, we'll definitely call a session to consider Mr. Beldon's candidacy."

"Ohhh no," Disruptor said, his eyes narrowed slyly. "Instate my father first. _Then_ you can have the Titans. And designs for the technology my father developed that helped me take them down."

Bumblebee's eyes narrowed and her fist clenched tightly. It was the suit, she knew it. She studied the thing from afar, trying to parse the skintight red spandex, with its yellow accent lines, through to the sinister surprises hidden within.

"You drive a hard bargain, kid. All right, we'll do it your way," the Councilwoman conceded. "But first HIVE is going to need some kind of proof that you actually have the Titans."

"Will you accept the android's internal power core?" Disruptor offered.

She nodded. "That'll do."

"Done. And I'll even throw in their T-Communicators for good measure."

"I've heard enough," Speedy growled. Before anyone could stop him he let fly an arrow that embedded in the screen and pierced the image of the HIVE Councilwoman in the face, cracking the glass, and shorting out the connection. Disruptor yelped and leapt back as the screen went blank, on his feet immediately and whirling to face them.

They had already jumped through the doorway and stood ready to fight.

"Be careful," Bumblebee cautioned them. "We still don't know what that suit does."

Now that Disruptor was facing them, they could see it, and its owner, much better. Disruptor was older than them—about college-age—and slight of build, with cold blue eyes. His suit consisted of a single piece with an attached full cowl—with holes cut out for his eyes and the lower half of his face—separate gloves and calf-length boots, and a pouched belt. He scowled at them, angry and confused.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Titans East, Titans West's sister team on the East Coast," Bumblebee replied sharply.

"There's another Titans team?" blurted Disruptor in surprise, his eyes widening. They darted from Titan to Titan, sizing them up quickly, as if pondering what he could get for the capture of two sets of Titans.

"There's a _whole_ lot more of us," Bumblebee threatened. She raised her stingers a little higher and pointed them straight at him. They crackled with energy. "You have our friends," she told him. Her eyes narrowed determinedly. "Let 'em go," she ordered.

Disruptor sneered, spreading his hands. "Make me," he challenged.

The twins shot forward, barreling towards him.

Instinctively his hand jerked in front of him. The twins yelped as they were blown apart by an unseen force, the magnetic attraction connecting them together suddenly reversing polarity and flinging them to opposite ends of the room. Más hit one wall with a _crack!_ and fell unconscious to the floor. The railing around the antechamber received Menos's back with a painful-sounding metallic clang.

Startled, Speedy, Bumblebee, and Aqualad tracked the twins' chaotic flight paths, then wasted no time and let loose. Bumblebee and Speedy unleashed a volley. The stone floor buckled and rent as Aqualad yanked a water main up from under the ground and sent a torrent arcing toward Disruptor.

The villain rolled and ducked behind the scant shelter of his chair, then waved his arm in a broad diagonal sweeping gesture.

In midair the path of Speedy's quintet of arrows wobbled and then veered off-course, pinging off the floor, the console, and the back of the chair. Bumblebee's stinger blasts frayed at the edges, spritzing off into wild directions so what little made it to her target had no bite and barely even made Disruptor flinch.

Most disastrously, Aqualad's torrent of water lost cohesion and broke apart, spraying everywhere. Droplets hit their chests and faces as their eyes collectively widened, realizing—belatedly— _exactly_ how Disruptor had been able to take down the Titans.

Crouched behind his chair, Disruptor raised his wrist and pressed a button on his gauntlet. A faint buzz grew sharply in volume as a pack of drones rounded the corner and came to a halt, compartments unfolding to reveal their weaponry. Another push of the button sent them after Titans East.

Bumblebee's wings hummed and she jumped back, drifting, putting some distance between her and the drones as she sent stinger blasts back at them. Speedy zigzagged, dodging the laser bolts sent at him. He fired arrows at the drones but they were quick and highly maneuverable and he missed more than he hit. Aqualad stayed planted, drawing up some water still trickling from the broken water main. As the first volley streaked towards him, he leapt behind the wall of the pipe and thrust his hand out.

"Speedy!" he called.

Speedy caught on at once and—as Aqualad's water surrounded two of the drones in a bubble—shot out a freeze arrow.

There was a flash, a bang, and the drones dropped solidly to the ground, encased in ice.

They'd lost sight of Disruptor briefly in the melée but the villain soon made himself known, redirecting the trickle of water from the pipe into a narrow lance that smacked into Aqualad from the side. He yelped in surprise but wasn't hurt, just distracted.

The drones took advantage to pepper him with incendiary bolts. Aqualad was forced the run from cover with a trio of drones on his trail.

Bumblebee had led the ones chasing her up into the rafters. She'd shrunk herself to present a smaller target but she didn't want to stay miniscule for long. She had a feeling Disruptor turning his suit's powers on her size-changing ability would be extraordinary unpleasant.

Sure enough, when he glanced up at her and brought his powers to bear, Bumblebee felt a horrible stabbing pain as her hand started growing, much faster than the rest of her. Frantically, panting with the effort as her growing arm began to serve as a deadweight weighing her down, Bumblebee pumped her wings and tried to escape even higher.

Near the ceiling, the weight suddenly lessened, and Bumblebee was able to shoot up. Her arm returned to its normal size.

She blew out a breath. _So, Daddy's Boy has a limited range_ , she thought. That could work to their advantage.

A laser bolt streaked over her shoulder. Bumblebee alerted to the drones at once, zooming off. She took a sudden sharp turn around a crossbeam and came at them head on, stingers out. She scored a direct hit on one, dead in one of its beady eyes, and sent it sputtering to the ground below.

It landed near Speedy's feet and he kicked it out of his way as he ran, firing arrows behind him. Between the drones' swerving and Disruptor's influence, he could barely hit anything. A lucky shot slipped past the villain and brought another drone down. Speedy circled the room, trying to root out Disruptor while he avoided drone fire. The villain was keeping to the corners, messing up his aim at critical moments. They had to take him out of the fight quickly.

Speedy felt a laser bolt sting his ankles. He yelled, stumbled, but recovered and rolled back up into a ready shooting position, just behind a low metal hunk of old machinery.

A hand grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Hold still," Aqualad's voice hissed next to him.

Speedy tilted his head only just enough to see the Atlantian crouched next to him. "What is it?" he whispered back.

"They have motion sensors." Aqualad nodded towards the oncoming drones.

Speedy tensed as they closed in but kept frozen in place. The pair suddenly slowed their charge, coming to halt just shy of them. They hung motionless in the air a moment.

Then, they began drifting away.

Still not moving, Aqualad explained, "They don't have any visual input. They target you by movement."

_That explains why they're leaving the twins alone,_ Speedy realized. Más was still out cold by the wall.

But Menos was stirring. He raised his head and rubbed a hand over his face.

The drones alerted to the movement and dove in for the attack.

"Shoot," Speedy growled, standing up and firing the arrow fitted to his string as Aqualad leapt up, lunged, and tackled Menos just in time.

One drone fell from the air, an arrow sticking from its back. The other strafed Aqualad's exposed back, as the Atlantian squeezed Menos close to his chest to protect him. Aqualad's face twisted and his back stung but, being made of pretty stern stuff, he wasn't seriously injured.

Speedy rushed over, his bow raised, and was at their sides in a second.

"You okay?" he asked.

_"Si."_

"I'll live," Aqualad grunted, uncurling from around Menos.

A drone plummeted from the air and crashed next to their feet and, a moment later, a diving Bumblebee joined them. She grew to normal size quickly, searching the perimeters of the room for Disruptor.

"His suit has a range of about fifteen to twenty feet. He pauses between bursts for an average of six seconds, so I'm guessing it needs a cooldown period before firing, too," she said, addressing her team.

"So it can overheat," concluded Speedy.

"So is the plan to make him expend a larger burst?" asked Aqualad.

She shook her head, zapping her stingers at the villain's darting figure as he ran for cover behind the covered worktable. "He's too careful for that. We'll have to—"

She cut off with a yelp as a blast from Disruptor sprayed back her stinger fire into her own face. Speedy, standing close to her, got caught in it too. Electricity sparked across both their bodies and they flailed their arms uselessly before falling on their butts.

Bumblebee set her teeth until the energy dissipated, then spat out an… understandably frustrated word.

"What you said," Speedy groaned, flat on his back, his limbs numb.

Bumblebee then proceeded to expound, at length, about the villain's parentage, his mother's character, his eternal destination, several lewd sexual acts he could perform upon himself, and almost certain relation to a donkey.

" _Language,_ Bee!" Aqualad complained, holding his hands firmly over Menos's ears. "There are kids around!"

She finished her rant and blasted one more attacking drone from the air as she leapt to her feet. It clattered, skidding and bouncing along the ground before bumping the far wall.

Behind the worktable, Disruptor watched the swift disposal of the last of his drones and pressed the button on his wrist again.

It beeped.

Nothing happened.

He tried again. Silence met his summons, and no more drones appeared around the corner.

"What?" he gasped, confounded, staring at his gauntlet in disbelief.

"Looks like you're out of reinforcements," Aqualad observed coolly. Disruptor jerked his head up to see him, Speedy, and Bumblebee all standing ready for round two, rolling up their metaphorical sleeves. Menos had rushed off, darting across the room, and was busy trying to rouse his brother.

Más gave a groan at the prodding and raised his head.

_"Ay, mi cabeza…"_

Disruptor's face twisted furiously as he shoved himself to his feet. "I don't need them," he snarled. "I took down the Titans. You think I can't take you down too?"

"You caught the Titans off-guard," Bumblebee said. "We won't be surprised so easily."

"Wanna bet?" Disruptor challenged.

He raised his hands. The Titans tensed, but all that happened was that the trickling water from the broken pipe expanded into a cloud of blinding fog. The cloud surrounded them, obscuring their vision, and Bumblebee yelled out a warning.

"Don't let him slip past us!"

Speedy twitched his bow this way and that, looking for movement in the fog. There was a shout from his left—Aqualad it sounded like—and the sound of a tussle. He let off a few wild shots but with the fog there was no way he could see his target.

A red and white whirlwind suddenly swirled around them. The wind from the twins' tornado sucked up the mist, yanking it from around them and clearing the air suddenly.

Now Speedy could see Disruptor grappling with Bumblebee and Aqualad. The Atlantian had ahold of one of Disruptor's arms, while he had grabbed Bumblebee's wrists and was trying to wrest her stingers from her. One had already dropped to the floor.

The twins ran in and kicked one of Disruptor's legs out from under him. He buckled, going down on one knee, and his grip loosened. Bumblebee pulled a hand free from his grip and aimed point blank at him with the stinger clutched tight in her fingers.

_BZZT!_

He disrupted the shot, but not before she fired. Yellow arcs of energy bounced between and over all three of them. Aqualad gave a shrill cry as he let go of the villain and stumbled back. Disruptor and Bumblebee were knocked back in opposite directions.

Bumblebee recovered first, and retrieved her other stinger, eyes on Disruptor, watching as the electricity coursed through his suit, lighting up the circuitry.

It subsided after a moment, and the villain scrambled to his feet and sought for cover as he waited for his tech to cool down.

An idea turned over in Bumblebee's head as she watched Disruptor's suit struggle to get back to normal function.

_If we could overload his tech…_ she thought. Pieces clicked together in place and she called to her teammates, motioning them closer.

"I've got a plan," she whispered to them.

-TT-

Disruptor's heart pounded in his head. He could still feel the burn on his arms. That had been too close a call. He had to take this other Titan team out quickly. He couldn't afford to lose his hostages now, not when he was so _close!_

Hostages…

His head jerked towards the Titans. He could threaten them. Heroes never risked the lives of others. Yes… this Titans East would surely surrender if he put their friends in immediate danger.

He started to raise his hand, point it at the glass tubes.

The twins were too quick.

_BAM!_

They bowled over him at high-speed, running him over and then coming around for another pass.

He brought the suit's powers to bear against them instead. They cried out, staggering, pulling away from each other and stumbling lopsided against the walls. But they gripped each other's wrists tightly and refused to let go, refused to be separated again.

Disruptor pushed harder, concentrating more power on them. His suit whined in his ears in protest.

Más gave a shriek as he was wrenched to the side by a sharp jab from Disruptor, dislocating his shoulder. Menos let his feet skid, still holding tightly to his brother, resisting the force propelling them apart.

Bumblebee took a potshot at Disruptor, forcing him to release the twins and duck for cover. Más doubled over at once, clutching his shoulder, his small face ashen.

Beside her, Speedy fit a trick arrow to his bow. "Now?" he asked.

"Now." She nodded, then thrust herself forward into the air, stingers blazing.

Disruptor took the bait, and Bumblebee took one for the team as he reflected her blasts back at her. She went down, yellow sparks passing over her body, but Disruptor's smug grin faded in an instant and his eyes widened as a rubber-fist arrow caught him in the gut. Speedy had charged in behind Bumblebee, hidden from his sight, and was now in close quarters with him, swinging his bow and throwing punches.

The villain blocked and backpedaled clumsily, frantic worry beating through him. He was no skilled martial artist, and it showed. Speedy would have him on the ropes soon if he couldn't think of something.

He looked behind Speedy's shoulder briefly, barely holding the archer back, and saw Aqualad standing ready by the leaking pipe. Whatever he had planned, it couldn't be good.

"Give up yet?" Speedy taunted, drawing Disruptor's attention back. "If you surrender quietly, we'll go easy on you."

Disruptor gnashed his teeth defiantly. "Ha! As if your power could hope to match mine!" Something dangerous glinted in his eyes. "I can disrupt the natural flow of _anything!_ " he yelled.

He gave a sudden hard shove against Speedy's bow, pushing the archer back. Speedy grabbed another special arrow from his quiver to enact the next part of Bee's plan but the murderous expression on Disruptor's face gave him uneasy pause.

"Including the blood in your very body!" Disruptor shouted.

They both raised their hands but Disruptor was a hair faster.

It hurt. A _lot_. Speedy fell to his knees, struggling for breath, a horrible stabbing feeling coursing through him. He couldn't get enough air. His heart and head panged. It felt like he was having a heart attack.

Aqualad started in dismay and looked as though he was going to rush forward and leave his post, despite his orders. Disruptor thrust his other arm out. A still-recovering Más was yanked off his feet and away from his brother, and used as a flying projectile to collide with the Atlantian, hitting him headfirst in the stomach.

The momentum carried them clean over the antechamber railing. Aqualad uttered a winded grunt as his back hit one of the glass cylinders. He slid down to the floor.

Behind him, Robin's eyelids fluttered, and sleepily blinked, uncomprehending, at the disturbance.

Menos had skidded in the opposite direction of his brother, but now he was up and throwing broken drones at Disruptor. The villain dodged them clumsily, trying to keep his powers trained on Speedy.

Through bleary eyes and the haze of pain, Speedy shakily fit his trick arrow to the string. The arrowhead twitched and jolted, but as a drone hit Disruptor's shins and distracted him, Speedy steadied his arm just enough to take aim and release the string.

Disruptor jumped as he felt the arrow whoosh by his ear. He turned a smug look on the archer.

"You missed," he sneered.

Speedy was on his hands and knees, panting. "Wasn't… aiming… for you…" he choked out.

There was a _thunk!_ and a crackle, and Disruptor whipped around, releasing Speedy from his disruptive hold. He saw the arrow embedded in the controls for the glass capsules that held the Titans, regulating the air and water flow and the drugs keeping them under. He saw the apparatus beginning to spark and fizzle dangerously.

"No!" he cried.

Heedless of anything else, he ran to the controls, trying to dissipate and redirect the cackling electricity. He couldn't afford the Titans waking up now. Not now!

Movement drew his eye. He looked up from the ball of fraying sparks he was trying to keep control of, right into Aqualad's unpleasant glare. The hydrokinetic sat at the base of Robin's cylinder.

He raised his hand.

Too late Disruptor realized there was more than one source of water in the room.

Glass splintered as water punched a hole through Robin's capsule and sprayed directly into Disruptor's chest.

"AAAUGH!"

Electricity exploded all around him, surging through the suit, burning him, overloading his limbs and senses. His limbs jerked about involuntarily and all he heard was a harsh zapping as components in his tech gave out under the strain.

His last thought before his eyes rolled up was a miserable, _Dad's going to kill me._

-TT-

Robin raised a hand to his head, still throbbing dully with a faint headache.

"How long were we off the grid?" he asked groggily up at Bumblebee, from his seat on the curb outside the warehouse.

"Almost a month, dude," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Robin shook his head in a daze as an EMT draped a blanket over his shoulders.

"I thought something was odd when the drones crowded us together," he remembered. "He was trying to take us all out in one shot. It didn't work as well as he'd hoped but that didn't really matter." Robin pulled the edges of the blanket tighter around him. "Star and I were the only ones not taken out by the initial attack. Disruptor turned his powers on her and made her… explode starbolt energy I think," he explained, squinting into the distance as he recalled the events that had led to their capture.

"How'd he take you out?" asked Aqualad, standing to Bumblebee's right.

"Not sure," Robin replied. "I just remember a lot of pain… and that I couldn't breathe… and then I think I just blacked out."

"Daddy's Boy messed around with your circulatory system," Speedy piped up from his seat on a nearby gurney. An EMT was busy checking his wrists and vitals, making sure there was no permanent damage. Speedy nodded towards her. "Got a taste of it myself. Not too much fun for me either," he told the Boy Wonder, cracking a grin.

Robin wasn't amused.

"He could have killed you," he said. "He could have seriously hurt all of you," he went on, shooting a look at Bumblebee that was almost scolding.

"But he didn't," Bumblebee pointed out. "And he wouldn't have anyway. We were worth more to him alive."

The argument died in Robin's throat on its way up. He gazed around at the scene. Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy were sitting on the lip of one of the ambulances, huddled together in their blankets and shivering. Más was on another gurney across the way, a pair of EMTs tending to his shoulder, gently easing the joint back into place. Another trio were helplessly trying to piece Cyborg back together as his head barked orders at them. They'd managed to reactivate him but, being doctors and not mechanics, they were at a loss as to how to reconstruct him. Cyborg was trying to give them instructions but it was clear from the frustrated tone in his voice that they were having difficulty understanding.

"Now turn the joint just a little to the—no, no, the _other_ way—and connect the rotatory socket with—Hey get away from there! What are you even doing? That doesn't even _remotely_ go there! And turn the wrench three-quarters until—would you just—Hey Beast Boy! Menos!" he called. "Get your butts over here and gimme a hand will you?"

Not hiding their amused grins, Beast Boy and Menos popped up from their seats and came over. Más joined them shortly, his injured arm in a sling. The EMTs set down Cyborg's parts and stepped aside for them.

Beast Boy cracked his fingers. "Leave it to us, dude!" he pronounced.

He and the twins loomed over Cyborg, whose eyes widened.

"Woah woah woah hey wait a minute!" he blustered. "Do you even know how to—"

They descended upon him and he yelped.

Robin let himself smile and admit that, despite the danger, things had worked out for the best. "You're right," he told Bumblebee. "Sorry. I shouldn't be trying to lecture you when you just saved our lives."

"Yeah," she agreed nonchalantly, grinning. "You wouldn't want to seem ungrateful." A couple EMTs were rolling Disruptor past them on a gurney. Bumblebee caught one by the sleeve. "How is he?"

"A few minor electrical burns, but he'll make a full recovery," he answered.

"The Commissioner—" she started.

He nodded. "Already put out an APB for 'Brains' Beldon Sr."

"Good."

Robin also addressed the EMT, expression serious. "When you remove his suit, turn it over to us. We'll make sure it gets destroyed."

The EMT looked uncertain. "I'm not sure I'm authorized to—"

"It's fine," the Boy Wonder interrupted. "I'll clear it with all the necessary channels. I just want to make sure dangerous tech like this doesn't get out onto the streets."

The EMT shrugged, pacified, and rolled Disruptor out with his companion. The Titans watched as they loaded him into the back of the other ambulance.

"We got to you just in time," Bumblebee told Robin. "Disruptor was about to sell your butts out to HIVE."

Robin shuddered. "Thanks again. I don't want to think about what would've happened if you didn't."

"Well, you know, when you didn't call we got worried," Speedy shrugged. Catching Bumblebee's withering glare, he quickly amended, "Bumblebee got worried I mean. And she kept on about it until it became clear it wasn't just an oversight."

"I'm glad." Robin stood up from the curb and turned toward Raven and Starfire, who were just walking up. "You okay?"

Starfire nodded. "Yes, though a bit sleepy."

"Clean bill of health," added Raven. She tapped her temple with a finger. "Rage is under control too." She looked at Titans East. "Though a little cranky that she was 'turned off' so long."

Bumblebee chucked. "Don't look at me. I booked my team here as soon as I could."

"How'd you know something was wrong?" Raven questioned.

She gave a light shrug of her shoulders. "Oh, you know…" she dismissed. She allowed herself to feel smug for the first time since the ordeal had begun. "…just a feeling."

Off to their side, the twins and Beast Boy emerged from their cloud of construction, presenting the newly-built Cyborg with a flourish. Their enthusiasm dimmed as Cyborg glanced down at himself and frowned at the sight of his torso… set backwards atop his forward-facing legs.

He frowned at Beast Boy and the twins witheringly.

"Heh-heh!" Beast Boy laughed sheepishly.

"Leeeet's try that again, little _hombres_ ," he told them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your trivia for today: Disruptor is a real villain from the New Teen Titans comics, who was given a special suit by his daddy and tasked with killing the Titans to secure the guy a spot in HIVE leadership. I thought he'd be a sufficiently dangerous curveball to throw at the Titans and someone who could have believably taken them down (so Titans East could get worried about them and come see what's up). So a nice little shout out there.


	57. Freak Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I had made several cryptic references to a blackmail date with Starfire and Control Freak in a few other fics and finally wound up telling the sordid tale in full here, lol.

The Titans were dead silent a moment, processing the villain's words.

"No," Robin said icily. His features were contorted in disgust and rage. " _No way._ If you think for even a _minute_ that we're just going to let you—"

"Well that's the thing, Boy Wonder," Control Freak interrupted, grinning smugly from cheek to rotund cheek. "Because if you _don't_ let me take Starfire on the coolest, awesomest, best date of her life… Jump City Town Hall and everyone in it are RoboCommando mulch!"

He brandished his remote again, pressing a button that made the squadron of robotic henchmen—lifted out of one of Control Freak's favorite TV shows, _naturally_ —cock and point their weapons at the huddle of frightened civilians in the middle of the room.

"So what'll it be, Titans!" challenged the villain with a smirk. "Will tonight be a splatterhouse fest… or a romance?"

Starfire gave a grimace. Beast Boy made an expression like he'd thrown up in his mouth a bit. Raven's normally stoic face twitched, and Cyborg hadn't closed his mouth once since the villain had made his demand.

Robin fumed, his hands fisting tightly by his sides.

"Titans!" he snapped, and the five of them huddled around him at once. Robin took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, and looked to his girlfriend. "What do you want to do?" he asked her.

Starfire gave a reluctant glance back over her shoulder at the screen. "I find the proposition as unappealing as you do," she said softly. "However, I believe I have no choice."

"I was afraid of that," he sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "All right, fine. We'll give him what he wants for now. But we put those robots out of commission and free the hostages as soon as possible."

"Agreed," said Raven.

The huddle broke and, with great trepidation, Starfire stepped forward.

"I… accept your offer, Control Freak," she said.

He looked surprised. "Wait, seriously?" A moment later he started bouncing up and down girlishly, clapping his hands in excitement. "Ha ha, awesome!" Calming down he said, "All right then, meet me at that Italian place on Walnut at seven-o'-clock sharp!" Casting a leery glance back at Robin he added, "Oh, and I better not see any of you Titans tailing us! This date is for lovebirds only. No room for third wheels!"

Robin took an impotently threatening step forward, glaring daggers. "I am going to _rip_ your fat round head _right off_ your flabby shoulders!" he growled. He might have tried to strangle the villain through the screen had Starfire not placed a gentle restraining hand on his chest.

Control Freak laughed nervously, looking not quite as confident as he had moments before, and waved a farewell to Starfire. "See you then my alien goddess!" he crooned. Then the message cut out with a flick.

"Oh X'hal…" breathed Starfire wearily, putting her face in her hands.

Cyborg was shaking his head. "Man, that ain't even _right_."

-TT-

Starfire smoothed out the front of her skirt, trying to quell her dancing nerves and the unease rolling through her stomach.

Robin's hands found hers, grabbing them up and squeezing tightly, plaintively. She met his eyes and offered a strained smile.

"I will be all right," she assured him.

"If… If he tries… _anything_ …" Robin sputtered, barely containing himself.

"I would incinerate him the moment he made such an attempt," she promised, a harsh note in her voice. Expression softening, she touched his cheek. "Please do not do anything foolish," she cautioned him.

Robin's face twisted. "I can't make any promises," he told her.

Starfire exhaled heavily. "Just… free the hostages quickly please."

He nodded. "We will."

Starfire let go of his hands and turned to cross the street and enter the restaurant.

She was not surprised to see a cadre of the RoboCommandos standing guard just inside the doors, looming over the very nervous wait staff. Starfire frowned at them. They would make things more complicated. Though she was more than a physical match for Control Freak himself, his large mechanical henchmen would prove… problematic.

Control Freak was already seated at a table, but he leapt up upon seeing her.

"OMIGAWD YOU'RE HERE!" He rushed over to her, his eyes over-eager and wide as saucers as they looked her up and down in a manner she found distinctly uncomfortable. "And you're even hotter up close," he breathed wheezily.

He took her arm and Starfire flinched, shuddering in revulsion at something… _sticky_ that the villain had forgotten to wash off his hands, but she allowed herself to be led to the table and seated across from him.

Surreptitiously she grabbed up her napkin and rubbed at the spot to clean it off.

"Sooooo babe," Control Freak drawled, pushing a menu towards her and then pillowing his chin on his hands so he could stare at her dreamily. "Whatcha in the mood for? Chef's special is the veal piccata today."

"I do not have much of an appetite at all, to be truthful," she confessed.

"We'll start you off with a salad then," Control Freak decided. "Oh garcon!" he called.

-TT-

Robin flipped open his communicator almost absentmindedly when it clicked.

"Robin… where are you?" came Raven's weary groan.

The Boy Wonder flinched, coming out of his train of thought. "I'm, uh… I'm still outside the restaurant," he admitted. He'd ducked behind one of the potted plants, keeping hidden but having a clear view of the table his girlfriend and Control Freak were seated at. "Have you found the room they're being kept in?" he asked, sneeking a peek at them from the corner of his eye.

"That was the easy part," Raven told him.

Cyborg piped in. "There are perimeter sensors all around the building. They'll automatically alert Control Freak if we trip them. I'm working on disabling them right now."

"Can you work faster?" Robin begged, watching in dismay as Control Freak reached across the table for Starfire's hand. Starfire "coincidentally" drew it back in order to pick up her fork. She dug at her food, pretending to eat as the villain rambled on about something.

"What, not enjoying the restaurant?" Cyborg teased.

"This isn't funny," Robin said through his teeth. "Just the thought of him touching her or… _hurting_ her is…" He stopped himself and simmered down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. I'm sorry. She'll be okay. She can handle him." He breathed deeply to try and calm his blood pressure.

"Glad to see you're not worrying," Raven snarked. "Should we initiate Plan B?"

"Not yet. Let's keep focused on the hostages for now." Robin crouched lower to the base of the pot, squinting into the dimly-lit interior. Control Freak's remote was tucked into the front pocket of his trenchcoat. He hadn't made a grab for it since the dinner started, but Robin could tell the villain was growing increasingly irritated at Starfire's constant dodging of his advances. "I've gotta get inside," he sighed, already imagining numerous horrible scenarios in his head.

-TT-

"So then he basically makes a deal with the devil to bring back Tallon from the dead except he forgot to anchor his Soul Seed to the Raigor Crystal so he winds up _actually_ going to the Underworld— _Dark Avengers_ totally did that storyline better by the way—and then he—"

Control Freak had not stopped talking since they'd sat down. In-between the passionate rants about how much this or that movie had sucked and "totally wasn't true to the comics!" and the endless trivia and the bragging about his ingenious plots to take over Jump City he would pause to leer at her and comment, again, about her assets. He had tried to lay hands on her several times throughout the dinner, and had even invited her to sit on his lap once, and only the cleverest dodging, swerving, and subject-changing had saved her thus far.

"—almost didn't make it back to the surface which was total bull because he did the exact same thing back in Episode 38 with no problem—"

Starfire's attempt at a smile was getting harder to keep in place. Being on _this_ side of the Blackmail Date scenario was certainly a new and interesting kind of torture and she already considered it far worse than having to watch Robin take Kitten to prom. She could only imagine how Robin was feeling about it.

_I do not understand any of these references, I have no opinions about the merits of the Captain Kirk versus the Picard, and I_ ** _especially_** _do not care to hear any more of the Control Freak's sexual fantasies,_ she thought, as Control Freak began to lovingly describe how a female character fit into her poor semblance of an outfit on some show she had never seen and did not care about.

She turned her face up to the waiter with a helpless, pleading expression that telegraphed a very clear, _HELP ME_.

The waiter cleared his throat, interrupting Control Freak's ranting. "Sir? Would you and the young lady care for dessert?"

"Huh? Yeah sure Jeeves, bring us something chocolate. You like chocolate right?" Control Freak asked her. Before she could reply he waved her off with a, "'course you do. ANYWAY—"

"Please," Starfire interrupted weakly. "I am sure it is very fascinating, but I have never watched this _Deathwalkers of Olinar_ that you speak of, and you are spoiling every single twist that might have been of interest to me."

"You've NEVER seen _Deathwalkers of Olinar_?!" gasped Control Freak, as though the very thought was appalling. "You live with the Puke Green Megadork and he's never once showed you an episode of the single greatest western animation of our generation?"

Starfire felt an itch in her hair and resisted the urge to swat at it or begin pulling chunks out of her scalp in aggravation. "There are a great many things that I have not seen yet, I am certain," she said, annoyance coloring her voice.

"We'll have to fix that when we get back to my place," Control Freak decided. "I have the whole series on DVD. Oooh! We should stop by the arcade first, I hear they have the new Wormblasters 3000 out."

Starfire's heart fluttered in alarm at the thought of having to go anywhere else with Control Freak, especially to the cretin's _home_. She stumbled over herself as she slid back her chair, teetering to her feet.

"I appreciate the thought," she told him. "And I have…" Her face twisted as she forced out the lie. "…enjoyed this date very much, but—"

"Babe, you haven't seen _anything_ yet!" Control Freak purred huskily.

Starfire gave a full-body shudder and turned towards the door, but found her way immediately blocked by one of the towering RoboCommandos.

In a much less friendly tone, Control Freak continued, "And I'm getting really tired of you avoiding me like I'm infected with Gorgon space plague." He took his remote from his pocket and gestured it towards her chair. "Now sit back down or this date is going to turn into the climax of _Deathbots from Jupiter_ REALLY quickly."

The reference sailed straight over Starfire's head, but she recognized a threat when she heard one and hastily took her seat again, just in time for the waiter to bring out the dessert.

Control Freak shoveled his down hungrily (mercifully giving her a reprieve from having the entire plot of _Deathwalkers of Olinar_ spoiled for her) but Starfire could barely manage to make herself nibble on the cake. She was feeling much less confident about her chances for escaping this situation… unmolested.

_I am beginning to think we should not have complied with his demands,_ she thought miserably.

-TT-

Robin had very nearly stood up and blown his cover when he saw the RoboCommando block Starfire's escape. His heart was dancing a nervous pace inside his chest and no matter how many times he reassured himself that she was okay, she was stronger than the villain, she could lay him out flat in a second, he couldn't help the crawling worry that rippled through him.

The four hulking metal menaces were crowded close around the table now, and he couldn't see past them to Starfire.

Robin weighed his choices a moment, then slowly got up from his crouch and began to creep around the building.

There had to be another window or door somewhere…

-TT-

Control Freak let out a loud belch as he finished up the cake. Wiping his mouth (on his sleeve instead of a provided napkin, Starfire and the waiter both noticed with chagrin), he grinned and pulled a yellowed, wrinkly bit of paper out from his pocket.

"Before we head out," he said, "I just wanna read you a poem I wrote." He smoothed the paper out on the table. "I actually wrote it about your sister but—"

"You've met my sister?" Starfire warbled weakly, dread already beginning to pool in her stomach.

He waved nonchalantly. "Yeah at this one underground villain party this one time. She's pretty cool. Like an older, darker, snarkier version of you. Except she's dark-haired. And evil. And has a bigger cup size. And a naughty streak like the Mississippi River. Man, you should have seen how she was bumping and grinding up on the tables. Totally bootylicious!"

"Please do not describe my sister in such a fashion ever again," Starfire begged, a horrified expression frozen on her face.

"Anyway, here goes. Just, sort of pretend the parts where I talk about 'her ebony locks' actually say crimson or something." He cleared his throat and began to read.

And it was as awful as Starfire had feared.

"Oh _X'hal_ …" she groaned, putting her face on the table after a particularly lewd bit. She felt the waiter pat her shoulder sympathetically.

During a portion that described, in unnecessary detail, how much Control Freak would like to lick his crush's skin, there was a sudden commotion on the other side of the restaurant. Someone yelped, and the whirling joints of a RoboCommando whirred and clanked. Lumbering footsteps made their way over to the table.

Starfire raised her head, to see one of the giant metal henchmen approaching, its large metal claws locked around the arms of her dangling, struggling boyfriend.

"Rob- _in!_ " she cried in exasperation, standing up from her seat.

"Heeeeeeey, what's this?!" Control Freak demanded, turning in his seat with a glare. "You tryin' to ruin the mood here? I told you guys no tailing!" he whined.

Robin shot him an equally unfriendly glare of his own. "I wasn't _tailing_ you. You haven't even gone anywhere."

Control Freak sputtered with anger. "Tch-Y-Y-Y-You knew what I meant! There's no room for third wheels around here!" He raised his remote threateningly. "Which means it's time to remove you from the axle, Wonder Boy!"

The sound of a starbolt charging made him pause and look over to see that Starfire had leveled one towards his ear.

"Do. _Not._ Touch him," she growled in a stern warning.

"Awww, come oooooon!" he bemoaned, jabbing a chubby finger at the Boy Wonder. "What do you even see in this jerk?" he whined.

"He is caring and sensitive," Starfire said. Her eyes narrowed. "Unlike you, who apparently thinks I am interchangeable with my _sister_."

"Well if you love him so much, you can beg for his life!" Control Freak spat hotly, mashing a button on his remote.

The RoboCommando holding Robin tugged threateningly on his arms, pulling them outward. He gasped, the bravado vanishing from his face in a flash of pain.

Starfire's heart panged with worry and she drew back her hand, dispelling the starbolt. She heard her pulse thumping in her ears.

"Ooooor…" drawled Control Freak slyly, looking back and forth between them, his finger hovering over the buttons on his remote. "…maybe we can work something out here. A few little favors in exchange for not turning the Boy Wonder into mincemeat?"

Starfire glared coldly but, glancing towards Robin, sullenly dropped back into her seat. She fumed silently a moment. This was exactly the kind of situation she had been hoping to _avoid._

"Finish reading, please," she said after a long moment.

Control Freak beamed in delight, then cackled to himself. "Guess I should thank you, Robin," he sneered at the boy. "Now I have extra leverage!"

Robin snarled and kicked out at the villain, who ducked Robin's foot neatly.

"HA!" Control Freak gloated. Collecting himself he scooped up his paper. "Now where I? Oh yes! '—of your lithe curvy frame in that tiny tempting miniskirt—'"

Starfire put her hands over her ears and kept them there for the remainder of the poem.

Robin had no such reprieve and had to hear every sordid, badly-pronounced word.

The strain in his shoulders was less painful.

Control Freak finished with a flourish, tossing down the paper in triumph. "Well?" he prompted. "What do you think?"

"That is literally the worst poem I have ever heard in my life," Robin said.

"Nobody asked you!" Control Freak snapped. He turned back to Starfire. "Well, my darling Starshine?" he pressed eagerly.

"It is… It was…" Starfire fumbled. The only words coming to mind were Tamaranian, and not very polite. "…certainly, uh… interesting… though I did not much care for the sunlight metaphors." She lowered her voice to a mumble. "Or anything else, to be truthful."

"Then I think I deserve a reward for my efforts," Control Freak declared, winking at her and pointing to his lips. "If you know what I mean," he chuckled.

Robin's squirming redoubled. "You keep your greasy lips off her or I'll—Ahh!" Iron pincers squeezed his arms a fraction tighter, interrupting his tirade with a sharp pang of discomfort.

Starfire was equally as viscerally opposed to the idea. "I would rather be eaten by a Drenthax swamp dragon than initiate any form of romantic lip contact with _you_ ," she said.

"That's really too bad," Control Freak replied, expression stinging only momentarily from her rejection. "Because let me remind you of what'll happen to your precious Teen Wonder if you don't!"

He pointed his remote at Robin, then reached across the table and grabbed her arm, pulling her with surprising strength out of her seat. Her eyes widened as she found herself dragged around the table over to the villain's side.

"Pucker up, Sweet Cheeks!" he crowed, rimshot eyes leering at her.

He yanked down on her arm to bring her head within reach and then his slobbery lips were… yeah.

"MMMMN!" Starfire yelled indignantly. She raised her hands, her limbs locked up in confusion a moment, and then she shoved them hard against Control Freak's pudgy chest, breaking the kiss instantly.

She'd pushed him hard enough to land him in his chair again but he didn't seem too fazed, sitting there with a goofy expression of satisfaction. Starfire stepped back, feeling traumatized and violated, and looked up at her boyfriend, who was glaring even more murderously at the villain.

His eyes lifted to meet hers.

"Plan B?" she inquired, voice warbling.

He nodded. "Plan B." Louder he yelled, "BEAST BOY, GO!"

The green moth fluttered out of its hiding place in Starfire's hair and became a snarling Rottweiler in an instant, bounding across the table and clamping its jaws on Control Freak's wrist.

"AIIIIIIIIIEEEE!" he shrieked.

His remote dropped from his hand, clattering on the floor. Starfire wasted no time and ducked under the table to retrieve it, as Control Freak hopped out of his seat, flailing his arms in an attempt to dislodge the changeling.

Starfire rolled up to her feet, the remote clutched in her hands. Her fingers hovered over the buttons uncertainly a moment, then she just pointed the device at the robot holding Robin.

"DROP HIM!" she shouted.

It complied with her order, letting go of the boy's arms at once. Robin landed shakily on his feet, whirling around and tossing an explosive disk at the RoboCommando's head. His former captor was reduced to smoking parts in only moments, and then he and Starfire turned their attention to the others, Starfire pausing briefly to melt the remote in her hands with her starbolts.

Beast Boy, meanwhile, had been shaken off Control Freak's wrist. The changeling shifted back to human form and landed in a crouch and the two squared off against each other.

"Okay, _first_ of all—" Beast Boy growled, standing up and grabbing a chair, then hurling it towards the villain. "—Farrin was _clearly_ exhausted from fighting the Reapers. Those things are what, level eight? _That's_ why he couldn't make it to the surface, dude!"

Control Freak ducked the chair and seized a serving tray from the waiter, throwing it wildly. "But he had the Amulet of Sorgath! He should have been fine!"

Beast Boy nonchalantly stepped to the side and let the tray whiz past him. "He _didn't_ have the Amulet. He'd left it behind with Rayna! Did you even _watch_ the show?!"

A RoboCommando stomped a little too close to him. Beast Boy morphed into a T-Rex and took a snap at it, crushing its torso between his powerful jaws and then casually spitting it out and tossing it aside. He shifted back to continue his tirade of pent-up nerdrage.

"Secondly, there is _no_ way that Captain Fantastic could ever beat Glamour Girl in a fight! Her superstrength would snap him like a twig before he could even blink!"

The wait staff, by now, had wisely removed themselves to the corners of the room, and watched the battle with mixed amusement and awe. While Robin and Starfire were tag-teaming the two remaining robots, Beast Boy and Control Freak took turns throwing objects—and insults—at each other.

"You can't be serious! Only brainless Vision loyalists could possibly have liked that dreck of a film!" said Control Freak, hurling a salad bowl.

"Says the dude who can't see past all the plot holes in _Dark Avengers_!" Beast Boy scoffed.

"Hey, shut up!" Control Freak yelled.

"YOU shut up!" Beast Boy responded immaturely.

"You!"

"You!"

CRUNCH! Another RoboCommando bit the dust, crumbling into broken pieces at Starfire's feet.

Beast Boy glanced that way briefly, then turned back to Control Freak with a smug grin. "Looks like you're out of reinforcements," he commented.

Control Freak laughed nervously as he tried to back towards the door. "Heh heh." Starfire and Robin were closing on him now, too, and he bumped against the tables as he backpedaled. "I—I didn't really mean what I said about Batman earlier," he babbled. "A-a-a-a-and no hard feelings about the whole kiss thing, right Starfire? No harm, no foul, right?"

A shadow fell across his back. Control Freak meeped and whipped about to see Cyborg and Raven standing in the doorway. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Oh man…" he groaned.

"One last thing," Beast Boy told him, cracking his knuckles ominously. "If you ever do anything like this to Starfire again, you're so going in a green T-Rex's mouth."

"But you're a vegetarian…" Control Freak squeaked weakly.

He shrugged. "So I'll just spit you out when I'm done chewing," he said. Then he smirked and stood aside. "Would you like the honors, Robin?" he offered cheerfully, waving a hand.

Robin crossed his arms with a smile. "I think I'll defer the first punch to Starfire." He turned to his girlfriend. "Break his face, Star."

" _Gladly,_ " she purred, winding up with a devious gleam in her eyes.

"Awwww—" Control Freak barely had time to groan before he was out cold like a soggy wet lump on the floor.


	58. Shipper On Deck

Raven barely looked up from her tea when she heard the door swish open, engrossed as she was in her book.

Her empathic senses hummed warmly. A familiar soothing pattern made a gentle tug at her mind.

She glanced up briefly, seeing Robin and Starfire entering together, holding hands. They whispered to each other in some private conversation.

Raven smiled to herself, returning her attention back to her book.

She felt, rather than saw, the two of them cross the room and take a seat on the couch. The two were surrounded in a soft empathic aura that radiated peace. Raven often found it difficult to describe. She knew, logically, that she must be sensing the love between them, their strong affections and their care for each other. But emotionally, through her powers... they just... _glowed._

Robin was wrapping his arm around Starfire's shoulders now, and she was leaning into him, and the warmth radiating out from them increased.

Raven raised her head from the book, closing her eyes and tilting her head towards it. She couldn't help but drink it in.

Hidden tension seemed to seep out of the cracks in her mind. She felt her senses soothing, felt a tranquil quiet settle inside her head.

She gave a sigh.

And then immediately flinched, her eyes widening in embarrassment.

_Maybe they didn't notice,_ was her immediate hopeful thought.

But alas, Robin was already straightening up on the couch, confusion overtaking his expression as he glanced behind.

"What was _that?_ " he asked.

Raven turned towards the cabinets in order to hide her rapidly flushing face.

"Nothing."

She could _feel_ his eyes peering at the back of her head.

"Raven?" he said. "Did you—?"

She scrunched up tighter, yanking her hood over her head. "No," she interrupted.

"I could've _sworn_ I heard—"

"Robin?" Now Starfire was piping up, puzzled. "What is it?"

Raven gave in. With a groan, she turned back around to face them.

"All right, fine," she confessed. "It was me."

"Oh!" Starfire lit up. "Did you come to a particularly romantic or otherwise emotionally-satisfying part in your book?" she asked, pointing over the top of the couch.

The empath allowed herself a wry smile. "Actually, no. It was you two."

Starfire tilted her head at that, her eyes scrunching. "Truly?" she asked, surprised.

"You guys are stupid adorable sometimes," Raven admitted. "And..." She gestured with her hands as she tried to articulate her thoughts. "...when you're together you just... you generate a lot of... _positive_ emotion." She grimaced. "Does that make sense?"

Starfire shrugged. "I suppose. You _are_ an empath after all."

Robin still looked confused. "Wait, so..." he said. He pulled away from Starfire a bit, turning on the couch to better face her. "You're saying you can feel our, ah, _feelings_ for each other?" he asked, purposefully avoiding the 'L' word she noticed. "Right now?" His face twisted with embarrassment. "Sorry. Is it bugging you? We can go somewhere else," he offered, already beginning to take Starfire's hand.

Raven quickly waved him off. "It's fine!" she said. "You're fine. Actually it's... kind of nice." She turned to empty the rest of her teacup into the sink. "You couldn't really hide it anyway, mind bond or no," she told him.

"That obvious huh?" he asked, with no small amount of chagrin.

"Your mental shields are non-existent when it comes to her, Robin. And, well... Starfire is Starfire."

"Indeed I am!" Starfire declared brightly.

Raven snorted. "What I mean is you're very _open_ with your feelings. You don't hold anything back."

Starfire blanked with a rather cute blush. "Oh."

"So... yeah," Raven said, bringing her rambling thoughts to a conclusion. "I can pretty much always sense whenever you two are being cute so there's not really any point in trying to be discreet about it."

Starfire giggled, putting a hand over her lips. "Very well then," she said, a cheeky glint coming into her eyes. "We will make no attempt to be discreet."

And with that, she grabbed Robin's collar and pulled him towards her until her lips crashed against his.

He squeaked in surprise at first, and Raven could feel a flash of mortification from him through her powers, but then his mind blanked out completely and he melted into her. Both emotionally and physically.

The glowing pulse of love surrounding them throbbed in the room, a sensation almost as relaxing as a deep-tissue massage on her mind.

Raven put her elbows on the counter and pillowed her chin in her palms, watching them with a little smile.

"Azar..." she whispered, sighing happily again. "You two are going to make _such_ an addict out of me."


	59. Closure

The waiting area smelled sterile. There was a faint hint of citrus, like the floors had been recently scrubbed. Low murmurs drifted around the room as furtive curious glances were paid to the corner where the cluster of brightly-dressed teenagers were standing.

The Titans were quiet, their faces sober. Robin was visibly agitated, his arms crossed tightly, tapping his arm with his fingers and fidgeting. The others paid him concerned glances every so often.

The quiet in the room was almost oppressive, heavy with strain and tension.

The door on the far end of the room clicked open, raising heads and drawing eyes. A bored-looking warden stepped in and read off his clipboard.

"All right Block B, visitation hours are open. You have thirty minutes," came the announcement.

There was a shuffle as the room stirred, several people getting up from their seats and beginning to move across towards the door.

Robin had tensed, stilling at the warden's announcement. He inhaled a slow breath, as if to steel himself.

A pale gray hand found its way to his shoulder.

"You don't have to do this, Robin," Raven told him, sensing his reluctance and fear through their bond.

He gave a grim smile. "Actually, I do," he insisted.

Undeterred, Raven continued, "We'd all understand if you wanted to turn right back around and go home."

He was already shaking his head, the smile gone, expression serious. "I have to face him," he said. "Just once, without the mask." His voice dropped even quieter as he looked towards the floor. "So I can put everything to rest."

Raven frowned, but nodded in understanding, stepping back to stand next to Beast Boy. The changeling was wound tight, his arms wrapped around himself like furious vices, ears twitching with thinly-contained anger.

"Good luck," he told Robin. "Dunno how you're gonna be able to resist punching him in his stupid smug face," he muttered under his breath.

Robin looked up at him, faintly amused. "Well, there'll be glass between us," he pointed out.

"You say that like it'd stop me," Beast Boy bit back.

The two boys fell quiet, sharing a look full of understanding. Robin turned towards the door, his breath shuddering, meeting the eyes of the impatient warden.

He couldn't make his feet move. His hands, limps by his sides, twitched at the fingers, curling and uncurling, trying to form fists.

The other Titans watched him stare at the door.

They could see him shaking.

"You want one of us to go in there with you?" Cyborg offered, after a moment.

Stirring, Robin swallowed down something caught in his throat. He turned around, his eyes coming to rest on Starfire. He reached for her, palm out.

"Star?" he called plaintively.

She nodded, moving at once to take his hand. She squeezed his fingers in hers firmly, reassuringly, holding on tightly.

Tension faded out of him and he seemed to breathe easier. Starfire stood with him a second or two while he calmed down, silently supportive.

Finally, he began moving towards the door.

Eyes gravitated towards the two and whispers began to fill the air. Heads darted glances in their direction.

Robin swallowed. It seemed like a very long distance to get across the room. The hallway beyond would feel longer still. It felt like he was drifting, on auto-pilot, as he and Starfire approached the door.

The Boy Wonder was startled from his daze when he spotted the two people leaning on the wall to the right of the open door. Rose and Jericho were out of costume, Rose's platinum hair falling down around cotton-teed shoulders, curling around a finger as she played with a lock idly.

She looked up at him, expression neutral.

"You going in to see him?" she asked.

He nodded. "You?"

She and Jericho exchanged a look, some silent communication passing between them. Rose faced forward again with a casual shrug. "We thought about it. Thought up a whole laundry list of things we wanted to yell at him for. But nah," she dismissed. Her eyes and voice turned hard, bitter tones sneaking in. "Let him rot. We've got nothing to say to him," she said.

Jericho nodded softly in agreement, his green eyes sad.

Despite the impatient foot-tapping of the warden, Robin stepped closer to the siblings, putting his free hand on Jericho's shoulder.

"Thank you, for trusting us with the secret," he said. "It couldn't have been easy for you."

_You deserved to know,_ the boy signed. _And I'm glad it helped... helped catch him,_ he continued, hesitating over one of the motions. His shoulders moved up and down in a sigh. _Now maybe Mom can rest a little easier at night, knowing he's not out there hurting people._

"Yeah..." Robin agreed softly, gaze turning distant.

They stood silently together a moment.

"Any time now, Block B," the warden sniped, flicking the glass on his watch.

Robin shook himself. "Coming," he promised. He and Starfire turned to go through the door.

"See ya round," Rose muttered. Louder she called, "Oh, and Robin?"

Robin looked back one more time, leaning back around the doorframe.

Rose's face was very even.

"Tell him to go to hell."

He nodded, then followed the trail of shuffling bodies that was farther down the corridor, the warden pulling the door shut behind them.

-TT-

It locked with a heavy click, echoing all across the waiting room. The clock ticked on the wall and the water fountain thrummed faintly.

"C'mon Joey, let's go get ice cream," Rose said, pushing off the wall.

He followed after her without hesitation, paying the Titans a respectful nod as they passed.

"Don't be strangers!" Cyborg joked at them in farewell.

"Won't be!" Rose promised, sending an offhand wave behind her, over her head.

Cyborg watched them leave out the door on the other side. His smile faded and then he slumped into a plush chair with a sigh.

The room quieted back down, interest and excitement levels fading again. The sharp citrus smell wafted around with the circling chill air, blowing cold on their skin.

Raven resisted the urge to trace along her bond with Robin and check in on him, tuning her senses more outward to pick up the general room.

Quiet gloom hung over most of the people there, save for the red frothing rage she could feel from the changeling standing next to her. Beast Boy's eyes were fixed on the floor, his hands still clenched tight around his arms, nails digging in.

She turned to him in concern.

"You okay?" she asked.

At her question Beast Boy seemed to make a concerted effort to calm down. The fury she could feel burning through him faded a little, puffing out with his breath.

"Fine," he muttered. "Just thankful there's like two feet of concrete and a dozen guards with guns between me and him right now."

That didn't really ease Raven's worry. Her hand drifted up, tentatively, brushing along his arm and when he didn't flinch away she closed it around his shoulder.

"He hurt you too, Beast Boy," she pointed out, softly. "Are you sure you want to stay out here?"

"Yeah," he answered at once. "I don't want to see him ever again."

Finally the tightness in his arms loosened, the changeling sagging as the anger left him.

"Dunno how Robin can stand it," he muttered.

Raven's mouth twisted. "Robin's feelings are... complicated," she summarized, deciding to keep discrete the full chaotic swirl of emotions that had been cycling through the Boy Wonder their whole way to the prison.

"He says he needs to do this," Cyborg shrugged, "so he's doing it. If we didn't come with, he woulda been here anyway." The half-robot straightened a bit, something suddenly occurring to him. "Hey you think—?"

He stopped abruptly, glancing around the room and then lowering his voice.

"You think someone should tell... you know..." He peeked carefully at Beast Boy. "Terra?"

"She knows," Beast Boy said, shrugging almost too casually. "I already told her."

Cyborg blinked. "Oh." It took a moment or two for him to recover from that. "Er... How'd she take it?" he asked.

-TT-

_His ears pricked up when he picked out her voice from among the crowd._

_"No way, that's hilarious!"_

_Beast Boy straightened, pushing upright from the brick pillar he'd been leaning on, turning towards the school and straining his eyes for a glimpse of her._

_She walked along the sidewalk between two buildings, flanked by a group of her friends, all talking and laughing at a story one of them was telling._

_"Well then Marcia decided it was a good idea to unstick the ball with another ball and_ — _"_

_Terra's steps slowed, the smile falling off her face as she caught sight of him._

_Beast Boy stood there awkwardly. He hadn't been back here since showing Geo-Force she was here, and he didn't know how to approach her now. Should he smile? Should he wave? Act like everything was okay? Pretend like the last time he'd seen her wasn't when she was disappearing from his life for good?_

_He settled for clasping his gloves behind him and clipping his heels respectfully._

_Terra's friends had noticed her pause and the redhead with the pigtails followed her gaze towards the gate._

_Her face soured. "Oh what_ — _" she started angrily._

_"Hold on," Terra told her, holding up a hand. "Lemme see what he wants."_

_She gripped both straps of her backpack, cautiously making her way over. Her expression was guarded and neutral. Beast Boy wiped sweaty palms on his pants, wishing idly that his gloves could have been made of more absorbent material._

_Terra stopped a few paces away, closer than she'd been in a year and yet eons distant._

_She regarded him stoically, no emotion touching her eyes._

_The wind whistled in the bushes behind him._

_"What are you doing here?" she asked after a moment._

_Beast Boy took a deep breath, his nerves fluttering away as he steeled himself determinedly. "I... thought you should know," he said, scratching behind his head, not making eye contact. "We caught him," he told her. "Slade. He's in prison." He finally raised his eyes to meet hers, his arm falling down by his side, hands gripping into fists. His gaze bore into hers seriously. "He can't hurt you anymore," he finished._

_A flash of emotions flickered across her face, her eyes widening with... shock? Relief? Maybe both. The news had her dumbstruck for a long minute, and Beast Boy felt his nerves beginning to rattle again, the longer it stretched out._

_Finally, her face shifted, returning to normal. "Thanks," she murmured softly. She took in a long breath. "That's... that's good to know," she told him, and it sounded like she was genuinely grateful to have been told. Her gaze fixed on a point in the trees above them, and it was like a thousand weights had lifted from her shoulders, her eyes alight, her posture calm and serene instead of tensed._

_Beast Boy let himself smile. She had been lied to and manipulated by Slade so long... it was worth all the awkwardness, all the ache in his heart, to come let her know she was free of him for good._

_"Anyway that's all I needed to say," he concluded, already turning to go. "Bye Terra," he called, waving at her._

_He didn't see her expression, but she sounded a little happier as she replied back, "Goodbye Beast Boy."_

_He glanced back once he was across the street and saw her rejoining her friends, a glowing smile on her face._

-TT-

Beast Boy came out of the memory with a little smile of his own.

"Pretty well, actually."

Cyborg nodded. "Good. I mean—"

He settled back into his seat, tapping his fingertips together.

"That's—that's good."

-TT-

Robin tried to resist flinching when the door shut behind them, closing them in the visitation room. A little ways across from them was a single chair under a low partitioned shelf. Thick glass bisected the room, separating one side from the other, coming down about halfway and then meeting a wall.

His breath shuddered through him.

Starfire took his other hand, shifting around to face him. He couldn't look at her, but he knew from the way she squeezed his fingers that she was trying to show him some reassurance.

"Remember, I will be right here," she promised.

He swallowed, nodding mutely.

Slowly, he composed himself, recalling dozens of Bruce's lessons on focusing, on centering his mind to let his anxieties go.

Focus. He could do this.

He squeezed Starfire's hands back and then let go.

He approached the glass partition and the chair, but didn't sit down just yet, meeting eyes through the window with the guard stationed just inside the door in the other room. The man nodded, then rapped his baton on the metal wall.

That seemed to be a signal to someone on the other side, because Robin heard several muted, heavy-sounding clumps as secure doors were unlatched. Footsteps trumped behind the wall. They came closer and closer until finally the door to the room itself shuddered and shifted, swinging open with a soundless whoosh.

The man in the orange jumpsuit that was brought in between two prison guards was unrecognizable to Robin, square-jawed and silver-haired with hardened features. If not for the black eyepatch covering his right eye and the fact that Robin already knew who he was—and, he supposed, something about his gait and bearing—he could have passed the man in the street and never known he'd brushed shoulders with their greatest enemy.

Robin almost shivered, wondering if Slade had ever done exactly that.

Slade's one good eye glanced across the room to fix on him, widening only the barest fraction. In surprise? In private pleasure? Robin didn't know. He'd never been very good at reading Slade.

They watched each other with neutral expressions as the escorts released Slade's arms and left the room, reaching back to pull the door closed behind them.

_Thoomp._

"All right, you know the rules," said the guard still on duty on Slade's side. "Hands on the shelf, do not touch the glass. You got twenty minutes."

He came forward to lead Slade to his seat. Metal handcuffs jangled as Slade put his hands on the shelf on his side, the chain connecting to the ankle cuffs draping across the edge.

"Well now," he said, a snide note to his tone. He all but sneered as he looked at his visitor. "If it isn't the Boy Wonder himself." The guard backed off and Slade leaned back a bit, straightening in the chair. "Come to gloat over your victory?" he snipped.

Robin scowled. "Don't flatter yourself," he snapped, as he took his own seat, pulling the chair out before sitting down in it. "As soon as we leave I intend to forget we ever came," he told Slade, crossing his arms.

Slade tilted his head a bit. "Hmm. Then why come at all?" he asked. "Surely you had other things to do."

Robin said nothing in reply, staring Slade down with an increasingly angry glare.

Understanding lit in the depths of Slade's eye. His lips twitched, a vague smile that sent creeping unease through Robin playing on his mouth.

"You _wanted_ to be here, didn't you? Wanted to see me," Slade guessed, and this time Robin could _hear_ the hidden glee in the villain's voice. "Curious to see what I looked like under the mask?"

The man was _happy_ Robin was there, dammit. Happy to have one last chance at tormenting him, belittling him, manipulating and insulting him. It made Robin want to reach through the glass and...

_Focus,_ he told himself. He couldn't let Slade get a rise out of him. That was exactly what the man wanted.

Robin kept his face very calm and neutral as he stared back at Slade.

"I had to see the man behind the monster I knew," he said evenly.

The light faded a bit from Slade's eye. He was silent a moment.

He looked oddly vulnerable.

"I'm not a monster, Robin," he said, quietly.

It _almost_ sounded genuine. Almost.

Robin's gaze had dropped, studying Slade's clasped hands on the other side of the glass. They looked smaller without the gloves on. The skin was rough. Calloused. Robin tried not to think about those hands wrapping around his neck, squeezing his throat, pinching threateningly on his shoulder, striking him across the face in a violent backslap, twisting and crushing his wrist in an iron grasp as Slade bent him backwards—

Robin blinked hard, yanking himself from the memories, his heartrate prickling and spiking inside his chest.

"You..." He paused, swallowing thickly to regain his composure. He raised his eyes. His voice was soft at first, but grew steadily stronger as he continued. "...kidnapped me. Blackmailed me. Held me prisoner. Threatened to hurt me and my friends if I didn't do what you wanted. Beat me and terrorized me." His crossed arms tightened, his brows narrowing. "Feels pretty monstrous to me," he said flatly.

Slade had the audacity to roll his eye. "You were never a prisoner, Robin. I believe I said you could leave at any time," he argued.

Robin's temper flared hot in an instant and he was leaned forward, furiously spitting the words out. "And if I had you would have killed my friends! That wasn't a free choice, that was coercion!" he cried, jabbing his hands in sharp gestures.

"It was your attachment to your so-called 'friends' that held you back. It always was," Slade said casually. "All you had to do was let them die."

The Boy Wonder's hands squeezed into fists on the shelf, scratching the wood. "That was never going to happen," he growled. His glare was chilly, brows twisting low, skin furrowed between his eyes. "You _know_ it wasn't. That's why you did it."

"I'm a practical man," he dismissed. "You had a weakness, and I exploited it."

Robin gave a scoff, sitting back in his chair. He shook his head, a look of disbelief shooting across at Slade. "That's all I was to you, wasn't I? Someone to be exploited and manipulated."

Slade stiffened at that, looking offended. "Someone with potential," he corrected icily. He leaned closer to the glass, pressing a stern finger to the shelf and tapping repeatedly, agitatedly. "Whatever methods I had to use, Robin, I only ever intended to make you better."

"Cut the crap, Slade," Robin snapped back. His eyes were scalding, anger radiating off him. "You wanted a pawn. A weapon. A loyal servant who wouldn't question you."

The man's mouth pursed. He absorbed Robin's accusation a moment, then gave a weary-sounding exhale through his nose as he withdrew.

"I'm disappointed you still see it that way," he said simply.

"I was _fifteen,_ " Robin burst out, unable to help himself, unable to stop the words from spilling out in a furious downpour. "I was alone and powerless and terrified every minute that you were going to hurt me and you had _no_ right! Don't you _even_ —" he snarled, "—start in with that whole spiel about how you only wanted to help me." An accusatory finger jabbed towards Slade. "Good teachers don't need to hit their students or threaten to murder their friends to help them reach their 'potential'."

"You think you were better off with the Bat?" Slade shot back, contempt in his voice. "With a man who coddled you and stifled your freedom, never trusted you to handle yourself?"

"Batman never hit me," Robin bit back angrily. "He loved me. You're not even _half_ the mentor he was."

"Then where was he when his protege needed him, hmm?" Slade challenged.

But Robin had been ready for that one. The investigation leading up to their fight with Slade had been very thorough.

"You know exactly where. You were the one that sent him that distraction."

That seemed to throw Slade for a moment.

"I don't know what you're referring to," he denied.

"Yes you do. Massive jailbreak at Arkham ring any bells?" Robin said.

Slade scoffed.

"You believe I caused that? Surely you don't really think I would go through all the trouble of 'distracting' Batman just so I could have free reign to—"

"Your mind games aren't going to work on me this time, Slade," Robin interrupted, not even giving Slade the chance to gaslight him, to make him doubt the clear evidence trail indicating the money that had exchanged hands, the people that had been threatened and coerced to look the other way so the unprecedented security breach at Gotham's notorious asylum prison could happen exactly when it did.

Back during the apprenticeship the questions _had_ crossed his mind. Surely Bruce knew about what had happened? Knew the danger Robin was in, or at the very least knew that he'd been reported missing? Wasn't he worried at all? Even though they had parted on less than friendly terms Robin was certain his mentor still cared about him. Was still looking out for him. So where was he? Why wasn't he coming to save him? At the time he'd clung to the idea that he'd only just been captured, that the news couldn't possibly have reached Bruce yet, that he had to have been distracted with something important, but it didn't stop the creeping doubts that Slade planted in his mind.

But of course, Slade had been lying. Even pushing himself to exhaustion working through the nights to recapture and put away every single inmate that had escaped, the security breach at Wayne Enterprises in Jump City and Robin's grand entrance into public eye as Slade's apprentice had been noticed. Bruce had called him not even hours after the Titans had rescued him, concerned and plying for his explanation.

He'd related at once to Starfire, ashamed at having doubted his mentor for even a moment.

All that was behind them now. Everything was behind them. After all the years of pursuing him, driving himself to unhealthy obsession, falling into mistake after mistake until he had to let it all go... finally the monster that had been haunting them, haunting him, was caged.

For half a second, Robin's fear rose. Slade still knew Robin's secret, knew who Robin was. He could still cause a lot of damage if he released that information, not just to him and the Titans, but to Batman as well.

But then the rational part of his mind remembered that if Slade had wanted to broadcast Robin's identity to punish him, he'd have done it long ago, as soon as Robin had been freed from the apprenticeship. Slade was, apparently, too honor bound to take that low tactic.

There was nothing Slade could say now that could hurt him.

His power was gone. His assets seized. And all the mystery and shadow surrounding him had been torn away.

He settled into that reassurance, not stopping the little smirk that crossed his face.

"We're even now. I know everything," he told Slade.

Slade tilted his head again, curious. "What do you mean?"

"Your son's outside," Robin said, gesturing towards the door with a shrug of his head. "He's not coming in to see you, and the information he gave us helped put you away. What does that tell you?"

Confusion lingered on Slade's face before the realization swept over him. His shoulders gave a little slump. "Joseph..." he breathed.

The sting of betrayal in the man's expression almost made Robin pity him.

The sympathy vanished as Slade's features hardened bitterly.

"He finally told you," the villain guessed.

Robin nodded. "Couldn't keep it to himself any longer. Not when he heard about your role in the world's almost-apocalypse."

His memory flicked back to a couple weeks prior. To when Rose and Jericho had confessed to their shared parentage. It had been a normal Titans network briefing up until then. Some offhand comment led to some truncated explanation about Trigon's incursion and then after a minute of furtive whispering between the two Rose was standing up and loudly proclaiming, "I have an announcement!", slapping a hand on Jericho's shoulders and declaring, "Meet my baby brother". A dozen frenzied questions followed. A thorough investigation. Fact-checking records. And a slow growing hope that this time Slade could actually be beaten.

Slade's voice broke into Robin's memories.

"So you know about Adeline and Grant then, I take it?" he drawled. He couldn't cross his arms so he just folded his wrists over each other.

"And Vietnam. And the experiments," Robin confirmed. "I know everything," he repeated.

The chair creaked as Slade leaned forward. "And you still think I'm a monster?" came the pointed question, asked in a tone that sent eerie prickles running up Robin's arms.

He shivered, his mind flooding with bits and pieces of the tense couple of days he'd been held in captivity. Echoes of Slade's dark, smug chuckles. His locked sparse room with its seamlessly hidden door. Every part of him aching from the harsh and rigorous training he was put through. The way the pain lanced through him when Slade threw a punch. The long jittery nights he was unable to sleep save for fitful snatches here and there.

The way his blood froze every time Slade entered the room.

"You'll always be a monster to me, Slade," he said softly.

Slade had no response to that, merely looking at the Boy Wonder with a blank, neutral expression.

Robin pulled himself back to the present, meeting the impassive eye head on. "Saw your daughter out there, too. She says go to hell, by the way," he snarked.

Slade blinked. "Daughter?" he queried.

Indignation rose in Robin. "Rose Wilson? Nineteen, gray eyes, platinum blonde hair? Ring any bells?" he spat out.

For a tick or two more Slade's expression remained blank, and then a quiet revelation spread across his face. His wrists uncrossed and the chair back groaned as he fell into it in shock.

"Lili's girl..." he said. He shook his head. "I wondered, but I never found out for certain." His hands returned to the shelf, his momentary imbalance smothered beneath a veneer of his usual stoic calm. "What grievances did _she_ have?" he asked witheringly. "I haven't seen her in years."

"She spent her whole childhood learning to take up your mantle," Robin said, twitching with irritation. "Came halfway across the world clawing for attention from a father she'd never known but desperately wanted to please. Wanted to be proud of her. You didn't even notice." The Boy Wonder's voice dripped with disgust. "You ruined her life and you weren't even _there,_ " he hissed.

Robin squared his shoulders. Looking through the thick glass at Slade—unmasked, unarmed, in custody—was rapidly making his fear of the man fade. All that was left now was satisfaction, and a tiny slice of pity.

He'd told Starfire once the difference between him and Slade was that Slade didn't have any friends. And seeing Slade like this now that truth rang out the clearer. He was alone. No loving wife. No devoted children. No allies. No friends. He didn't even have henchmen anymore.

And it was all his own fault.

"You might not think you're a monster, Slade," Robin spoke up, his tone very even and calm, "but you poison everything you touch and everyone you come in contact with. All you care about you destroy."

The real Slade had never actually said those words to him, but Robin still felt meanly happy to throw it back in the man's face.

"All that power, all the people you hurt... In the end what did it get you?" he asked. He waved a hand to indicate their surroundings. "You're alone." His eyes hardened. "And the county prosecutor is going to make sure you have a _lot_ of time to think about why. You've lost, Slade," Robin said, voice firm. "Lost everything. For good."

Slade jerked forward in his seat, hideous rage flashing in his eye, making Starfire and the guard both twitch forward, but all the man did was get up uncomfortably close to the glass to spit his words in Robin's face.

"You think this little cage can hold me?" he snarled. "You think you can just trust the whimpering ineffectual power of the law to keep me locked away?" His hands fisted, curling around the chains. "What do you think they're going to do?" he demanded. "Sentence me to life? Execute me? As if any of that will erase their daily incompetence and inability to deal with criminal threats."

Robin had flinched a little at Slade's outburst, freezing in place in a flash of momentary terror, before letting out his tensions and remembering the barrier between them. Impotent threats. That was all Slade was anymore. All he had left.

"That's not my decision to make. And personally," he added, glaring again, "I don't care. Just so long as you're _never_ able to hurt anyone else again. _If_ you ever see daylight again," he emphasized, "I'm more than happy to put you right back here."

Slade's outward anger cooled, but cold fury still burned behind his eye and the deadset lines of his face. "More threats will come," he promised. "If not me then any of a number of villains already rushing to fill the power gap my 'removal' has caused. Did you consider that at all when you were hurrying to catch me?" He sneered. "Did you ever stop to think of everything my presence in Jump City was holding back? That my absence from the playing field might, in fact, make things worse for your miserable little city? Or was your ego too thrilled at the idea of finally beating me to pay much attention to small details like consequences?"

Robin gripped his fists, counting backwards from ten to calm himself. His hands flattened on the shelf.

"Any place is better off without you, Slade." He lifted his chin. "Trust me, you won't be missed."

The anger was back as Slade practically breathed on the glass. "Listen you sanctimonious little—"

"We're done here," Robin interrupted, straightening dismissively. He stood up from his chair, turning his back on Slade and stalking towards the door.

Starfire watched him pass, her eyes following his movements as he tapped lightly on the door, stepped back briefly as it opened and proceeded on through.

She lingered a moment, turning back to face Slade. He raised his eye at her passively, feigning disinterest, leaning away from the barrier.

Her fists clenched tightly by her sides as she pinned him with a chilly, deadly serious look.

"If you _ever_ come near him again," she promised, "I _will_ kill you."

With that, she turned stiffly on her heel, her hair swishing behind her as she followed Robin out.

-TT-

Robin walked through the door to the waiting room, Starfire trailing faithfully behind him, and stopped abruptly, listening to the sound of the door snapping shut.

He exhaled, relief melting over him.

The Titans alerted to his return at once, scrambling up from their seats and making their way over.

Raven could already sense the release of tension in him, the negative feelings that were swiftly dissolving away and being replaced by calm.

Nevertheless she asked, "How do you feel?"

A little breath escaped his parted lips, which turned upward into a faint smile.

"Free," he whispered.

The empath nodded, stepping back as Beast Boy pushed forward past her.

"He say anything about Terra?" the changeling demanded.

Robin shook his head.

Beast Boy snorted in disgust. "Figures."

"You know I'm sure the warden will still let you in if you want to—" Robin started to offer.

"Forget it," Beast Boy spat, interrupting. "I'm not talking to that asshole." He glared down at the floor. "Whatever. It's done, he's finished."

"Yeah..." Cyborg agreed, placing a comforting hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "It's finished. We did it."

"At last," sighed Starfire.

The five of them fell quiet a moment.

The toe of Beast Boy's shoe scuffed the floor, and he peeked back up.

"So, uh... what now?" he asked. "I guess we go back to work huh?" he said, one hand reaching up to scratch his neck.

Robin waved a hand, his smile broadening. "Later," he said. "Right now I feel like celebrating a bit." He pointed towards the door. "You guys up for pizza? I'll buy."

Cyborg stared. "Who are you and what have you done with Robin?"

Giggling, Starfire took Robin's arm, nestling herself comfortably to his side. "I believe I am quite hungry," she confessed. "And Rose and Jericho mentioned they were going out for the ice cream. Perhaps we could join them?" she suggested.

Raven let a small grin creep onto her face. "Sounds like a plan."

"Okay then!" Beast Boy chirped brightly, all his anger seemingly forgotten. "Last one to the T-Car shares a veggie pizza with me!" he shouted, already bounding towards the door.

The other Titans quickly followed after him, their light laughter pealing through the hallway as they left the prison waiting room far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one. Having Robin get to chew Slade out and shut down his Hannibal Lectures was _intensely_ satisfying. Also loved getting to explore the reactions of Slade's miscellaneous victims, see how they would be able to find peace from his ultimate capture. Robin and Terra both have an immense sense of relief and closure, Beast Boy is still nursing some anger, Rose and Jericho are sad and angry but not ready to face him yet.
> 
> Raven made her peace long ago so now she's just worried about everyone else. And Cyborg and Starfire were never direct victims of Slade so they're mostly along for moral support. (And because I had to have Protective Girlfriend Starfire threatening Slade YOU ALL KNOW I HAD TO.)


	60. Heroes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For maximum awesome effect, listen to "Portals" from Avengers: Endgame while you read it. XD 
> 
> Enjoy!

Open doorways cast shadows of pale white light across the darkened Watchtower halls as they made their way. The two figures crept forward, eyes and ears alert, straining for signs of life within the too-quiet station.

Superman's ears keened, his head turning to listen. He motioned to his companion, stepping forward towards one closed door in particular. Batman crouched down and followed, taking up position on the right side.

"In here," the Man of Steel whispered. "I can hear heartbeats. Eight of them slow and faint—probably the League."

"Injured?"

"I'm not sure." He listened closely, measuring the seconds between beats to see if he recognized them. "There's three others too." He tuned his hearing, picking up their voices. A dark frown appeared on his face. "Savage is with them."

Batman didn't reply, but a low growl sounded through his throat.

Superman glanced over, meeting eyes with his friend seriously. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," he confirmed. Under his cowl he gripped the handle of his long-range transmitter, keeping it close as they had discussed, just in case.

The motion didn't escape Superman's notice. "Are you sure they'll get the signal?" he asked. Concern hung in his eyes. "We'll be putting them in a lot of danger."

"They'll get it," Batman said, shortly. "And they can handle it."

The Kryptonian nodded, drawing back from the door in preparation.

At an unspoken signal between them, Superman wound up and punched both metal doors, sending them flying across the room with a ghastly _CRUNCH!_

Vandal Savage turned from looking out the window with a casual glance. "Ah, Kryptonian," he said, his voice as smooth as silk, steady and calm. "How nice of you to join us."

Superman stepped into the chamber, drawing eyes and attention from the shadows he knew Batman would be slinking through. At a glance he took in the camera feeds on the screen in front of Vandal showing various parts of the Watchtower, Morgaine Le Fay hovering near his shoulder with staff extended and glowing, and the other eight core Justice League members, lined up near the left wall, still as statues, their eyes open and blank. A cluster of alien-looking black flowers surrounded by pulsing tendrils wrapped around each of their bodies.

His heart dropped in horror for a fraction of a second before his eyes narrowed.

"Let them go, Savage," he demanded.

Vandal Savage appeared to consider that, a pensive finger to his chin, though the gesture was hollow and without sincerity. "It was an awfully difficult fight to acquire them," he mused. "I think rescuing them will be equally so."

"You can't win against me," Superman said, watching the man warily, careful not to betray any sign of Batman's hidden presence with his eyes or attention. The Dark Knight was slipping behind consoles and as-yet-unpacked supply crates, making his way towards their friends.

An amused smile appeared on Vandal Savage's face. "I agree," he said lightly. He tilted his head, expression smug and confident. "Fortunately I brought someone in your weight class."

Superman had been looking for the third party in the room since he'd entered and, at the first sign of motion in the corner of his eye, was already swerving his head out of the way.

A large yellow fist whooshed past his nose, missing him, but the followup roundhouse from the other hand hit with the fury of a freight train, cracking his chin back and sending him flying.

He crashed into the far wall, pain lancing up his spine. Over by the captured Leaguers, Batman froze a moment in concern.

Gritting his teeth, Superman pulled himself from the sizable dent now decorating the wall, glaring down the large alien that sneered back at him, at once familiar.

"Mongul..." he growled. "I saw the Black Mercy but I was hoping Savage had just picked up an extraterrestrial gardening hobby."

"There's not enough left for you, I'm afraid," the warlord said, cracking his knuckles. A sadistic gleam lit up his eyes. "But don't worry. I prefer it this way."

With that, he charged.

They clashed, terrible blows raining down. Resounding crashes rang out with every punch, raising dust, splintering metal.

Batman took the chance to rush to the League. He tucked the transmitter into his belt, pulling out a batarang and jamming it under one of the tendrils wrapped around Wonder Woman.

He pulled, wrenching at the horrible plant.

"C'mon Diana, fight it!" he urged, turning the sharp edge, straining, trying to slice through.

A blast of energy like an electric charge barreled into him from the side. It pulled a grunt from him, and knocked him dizzy for a couple terrifying seconds.

"Ah ah," a female voice chided. "You mustn't wake them."

Shaking his head, the Dark Knight recovered, turning to face Morgaine Le Fay with a glare. He imagined he could see a chilling smile behind her mask.

"After all..." she continued, drawing little circles in the air with the glowing end of her magic staff. "...they are having such lovely _dreams!_ "

She punctuated the last word with a sharp jab of her staff, sending a crackling ball of magic rolling towards him.

Batman threw himself out of the way, rolling, grabbing a handful of smoke bombs in a seamless motion and tossing them down.

 _"Vespiro hezberon aeris!"_ Morgaine shouted, her voice echoing with power as she cast her spell.

Runes glowed on the floor, brightening and then exploding in a rapid series of magic blasts. In spite of his best efforts, Batman caught one in the face, falling back and blinking furiously. Blindly, he flung out an explosive batarang, which exploded close enough to Morgaine that it knocked her from her feet.

It soon became a deadly dance of ducking, dodging, and dueling between them. Over on the other side of the room Superman was faring little better, taking harder and harder hits from the relentless alien warlord, who came after him like a tireless automaton. Batman flinched as his friend's head snapped back from an especially brutal uppercut.

Meanwhile, it seemed, Vandal Savage was largely unconcerned with the fight behind him. His hand found the call button for the station's internal comms and leaned on it.

"Crane, I need you up here to deal with a little bat problem."

 _"On my way,"_ a thin, reedy voice promised.

 _"Lower levels are cleared,"_ another voice piped in. _"But no sign of Superman."_

"Not to worry, Luthor," Vandal Savage told him. "He is being dealt with."

 _"What do you_ ** _mean_** _he's being—"_ Lex sputtered in outrage, but Vandal had already taken his hand off the call button.

Batman slid back on his feet, hands raised to guard as Morgaine swung her staff at him, the heavy jeweled head passing with heavy whooshes of air past his cowl.

 _"Infernus torpid!"_ she incanted, and a plume of sickly purple flames burst from her staff and circled towards him.

He hurled himself out of the way, clearing a maintenance panel just as Superman gave a pained cry from the other side of the room. Rolling up to his feet, Batman didn't hesitate, throwing an explosive straight for Mongul's head.

The blast made him snarl in rage and stumble back, buying enough breathing room for Superman to get clear, converging on Batman's position.

They stood back to back, facing off against their respective opponents as the villains circled around them. Morgaine had a creepy smile on her lips as she spun her staff, summoning ghostly humanoid forms from the floor, dozens and dozens of them.

 _Oh for..._ Batman couldn't help but groan inside his head. He looked back over his shoulder.

"Wanna switch?" he quipped.

"He'd flatten you," Superman replied back in all seriousness.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Batman grumbled, loading up both hands with flashbombs and smoke grenades.

Explosions popped all around the room, dispersing the eerie smoke of Morgaine's minions. Mongul lumbered towards them like a thundering freight train. They were forced to break apart, Superman grabbing the warlord's thick shoulders and swinging him around to fling him against the window.

Vandal Savage finally flinched, stepping back as the glass gave an ominous crack.

Mongul was up again momentarily, brows furrowed in fury. He rushed back into the fight, barking a sharp, "Witch!" as he passed Morgaine.

She backed away from Batman's kick, raising her staff high before plunging it towards the ground.

A magical shockwave upended the floor, throwing crates, surging through metal and flesh like crackling electricity. Batman's teeth and muscles locked up in discomfort and he clenched his jaw against the pain. It wasn't his worst electrocution, but it was still incapacitating, stunning him where he stood.

For Superman with his vulnerability to magic it was absolute agony. Blinding light ripped open his head, tearing through every cell in his body before evaporating into stinging aftershock. He came to on his hands and knees, unaware of when he had even dropped.

A muttered Kryptonian curse word was all he could manage to breathe before Mongul was on him again. Blows rained down and, already weakened from Morgaine's magic, the mighty Man of Steel could only stagger and fall back.

He stumbled, falling to his knees again, and couldn't recover in time. Mongul's great hand latched around his head, squeezing his skull with threateningly crushing pressure.

Batman's shaking hands drew out a grappling hook, aiming it towards Mongul's head, intending to loop it around the alien's throat and choke the life out of the villain before he could squash Superman's head between his fingers.

Sharp claws slashed at his wrist and chest, flashing in with a blur of yellow and black.

"Ah!" he cried, teetering back, the grapple dropping.

Cheetah skidded on the floor behind him, swinging about, a feral grin of satisfaction on her face. From the same door she'd come through, on the other side of the room, poured in the rest of the villains—Grodd and Black Adam and Lady Shiva, their new aquatic muscle Orca, the surprising figure of Scarecrow, and of course Lex Luthor, red-faced and spitting mad.

"Vandal!" he bellowed, drawing everyone's attention to him, silencing the fight. "Are you up here killing Superman without me?!" he demanded hotly, making agitated gestures with the arms of his mechsuit.

Vandal regarded the man with cool indifference.

"If you'd like the honor of delivering the finishing blow..." he offered, waving vaguely towards Mongul and the weakened, dangling Superman.

Luthor fumed, getting right up in Vandal's face, thumbing furiously at himself. "Honor?! It's my _right!_ " he spat, eyes flashing with anger.

Mongul looked to Vandal Savage with an expression of reluctance, but at a nod from the man, hefted his wrist and dropped Superman with a huff.

"Then by all means, _Earther,_ " he grouched, sneering the word with the same contempt that was in his eyes.

A feverish sadistic look came to Luthor's face. He grinned widely, expression almost crazed, stalking towards the downed hero.

Superman raised his head, glaring defiantly. As Luthor approached, raising his hand, the kryptonite laser in his palm charging with a pitched whine, he pushed himself to his hands and knees. Luthor stopped a few scant feet away, palm extended, the green energy burning at Superman's face.

He gave a barely perceptible flinch and Luthor savored the moment.

Too long.

Superman looked across the room to Batman, and nodded.

"...Do it," he ordered.

Batman whipped out the transmitter, slamming the activation before it was even fully raised. Lady Shiva flung a ninja star that knocked it out of his hand but not quick enough; it was already lit up and beeping loudly as it skidded across the floor.

Mongul silenced it with a quick crunch beneath his heel.

"What was that?" Morgaine demanded.

Mongul stepped back and Cheetah crept forward on all fours, examining the remains. She put her nose down close, studying the broken wires and metal bits.

She snarled back.

"It's a transmitter! It beamed out some kind of signal!" she cried.

Luthor had looked vaguely worried when Batman had made his move, but upon hearing that his shoulders relaxed and the smugness returned to his face. "Amusing, Batman," he said with a chortle. "But I'm afraid none of your wonderful little bat-themed toys remain intact on board this station. Grodd has seen to it that they have all been destroyed," he said, nodding towards the gorilla.

Batman's stoic expression was hard as stone.

"I know," he growled.

Luthor blinked, taken aback. "Then what the hell were you calling for?" he asked huffily.

The most unsettling smile came to the Dark Knight's lips.

"Backup."

A moment ticked by as the villains processed the word.

Then, the sound of a horn blowing shot them through with a realization of horror.

A circle of disturbed air formed at the end of the room, widening rapidly as the portal expanded. Luthor's eyes widened, something akin to fear beginning to prickle through his heart at the sight of people standing on the other side.

Costumed teenagers. Dozens of them.

There was Robin, and Cyborg, and Beast Boy, and several more he couldn't name stacked up in row upon row, all wearing determined expressions, ready for battle. The League was in trouble, and so they had come.

The Titans Network had heeded the call.

Robin stood at the head, flanked by Starfire and Raven, narrow-eyed and unafraid. He raised a hand to point, straight towards the villains.

"Titans..." he called, yelling the words like a battle cry, "... _together!_ "

And they moved.

Out of the portal they spilled, like a single coordinated unit. Titans West in the front, Titans East and Titans North right behind them, spinning on their tails. More and more of them, ten, twenty, Lex lost count at thirty and there were _still_ more.

Titans Oceanic brought up the rear and the portal snapped closed on the heels of Herald, who spun his silver trumpet with a cocky grin.

"Who's ready to face the music?" he quipped.

He raised the trumpet to his lips. A bright, sparkly note sounded and a new smaller portal opened up behind Mongul and Cheetah.

Rushing wind pulled through the gap, sucking at their backs. Mongul merely sidestepped, looking annoyed, but Cheetah's eyes widened and she scratched desperately at the floor, flailing a moment before she yelped and was yanked unceremoniously through the opening.

-TT-

The portal dropped her onto the floor of a cell in Metropolis Central Prison. She looked up at the ceiling with a hiss as the portal snapped closed.

-TT-

Back on the Watchtower, everything dissolved into haphazard chaos. The villains rushed forward to meet the Titans' charge. The teens split into groups, most along team lines, picking an opponent and engaging them. In no time at all the raucous sounds of fighting filled the air.

Batman watched one group run straight through the battleground towards the captured League, ignoring and batting aside opponents on their way. Two Amazons, one girl in red and green, another in mostly white, and three small children. Overshadowing them was a giant stuffed bear, who swiped Morgaine aside with his sharp claws as if she weighed nothing.

The Dark Knight shook his head. He'd seen weirder.

He sensed more than saw the shadow falling across him as a figure came up to him. His glanced up to see his protégé. Robin's eyes beamed concern as he stood there uncertainly.

Softly, so that only their ears could hear it:

"Bruce?"

Batman waved him off, staggering resolutely back to his feet. "I'm fine," he grunted in assurance. "Help the others."

Robin nodded, eyes turning serious, and rounded about to join Cyborg and Kilowatt in battling Luthor.

-TT-

"Hurry Cassie!" Troia hissed, reaching for one of the Black Mercy's tendrils and pulling with all her might.

"I'm hurrying!" the younger blonde girl shouted back, joining Mirage and Flamebird in trying to pry one of the foul plants off Green Lantern.

Further down the line, Melvin was straining to hold Teether up high enough. His little grasping hands stretched for a hanging vine.

As soon as he caught hold of it, he yanked it down, bringing it to his mouth and beginning to chew furiously. The plant recoiled, almost screeching as it found itself being _eaten_ off its captive.

Timmy, meanwhile, went for a more straightforward approach.

"WAKE UP!" he shouted at the still form of Black Canary. "WAKE UP WAKE UP!"

His sonic cry did little to actually rouse the woman, but the Black Mercy plants writhed in pain, shuddering, thrashing in response to the sound.

Troia pulled harder, feeling the tendrils around Wonder Woman begin to give.

"C'mon c'mon," she groaned, bracing her feet, straining.

It pulled free with a sudden snapping of tension. Troia swung upright, tossing the vile cluster against the nearest wall and catching the older Amazon as she swayed forward.

For a few terrifying milliseconds it didn't seem to have worked; Wonder Woman was splayed limp and unresponsive.

Then her eyes blinked rapidly and she tilted upright to her feet, a hand going to her head.

"By Hera... what happened?" she asked in a daze, shaking off the lingering effects of the Black Mercy's dreamworld.

"Long story," Troia dismissed, glancing over her shoulder at the wider fight going on. She pointed towards Wonder Girl, Mirage, and Flamebird, busy disposing of the plant that had held Green Lantern. "Quick, help us get the others!"

Wonder Woman nodded resolutely, immediately moving to grab the plant around the Flash.

-TT-

Lady Shiva's first thought when the portal had opened had been to place herself as guard for Vandal Savage, prevent the young heroes from getting to him.

She was hard pressed as tingling yellow bolts from Bumblebee's stingers popped all along her arms and head, the heroine buzzing her in miniature form, maddeningly hard to keep track of. At the same time she fended off attacks from Speedy and Aqualad. Both boys charged in at her, throwing punches, Speedy using his bow like a quarter staff and swinging it at her head.

"You know," he commented, stepping back and fitting an arrow to string. "I've fought Cheshire. Several times, in fact. And I gotta say..."

He let loose the arrow and Lady Shiva found herself flung back as it exploded at her feet.

"...you're really kind of a disappointment in comparison," Speedy finished.

Furious anger flushed through her heart and she snarled, lashing out with a handful of shuriken at him.

To be compared with a child! Of all the impudent—

A particularly painful zing stabbed through her back. Lady Shiva slashed at Bumblebee with her blade, teeth pulled back, almost hissing.

Bumblebee grew full size in an instant, using the kinetic energy and momentum to plant her feet in Lady Shiva's collar and shove her hard, springboarding off to land on the floor. The assassin stumbled, catching herself on the edge of a supply crate.

When she looked up she had just enough time to catch a pair of red and white blurs coming towards her.

-TT-

_Crunch!_

Vandal Savage started at the rending of wood that sounded near him, turning to see Titans East moving past the fallen Lady Shiva and heading towards him.

Eyes narrowing, he stepped back towards the nearest console, his hand reaching back, searching for either the button that vented the airlock or the one that triggered the fire suppression system.

Just as he was about to press it, a tendril of water smacked his hand away. He yanked it back from the sting, holding his wrist gingerly.

Aqualad pulled the tendril back into his portable canteen, expression dangerous.

"I wouldn't," he warned the villain.

Vandal's whole face furrowed and darkened.

Very well. If he had to get physical he was well capable.

He rolled up his sleeves and crouched into a fighting stance.

-TT-

Robin gave a furious yell as he swung his bo staff.

It cracked across Luthor's exposed head, exploding stars in his vision. Luthor stumbled awkwardly in his mechsuit, footsteps heavy, lumbering. But as Robin rushed him again he recovered, punching the boy away with one of the suit's heavy metal fists.

"Hey!" Cyborg yelled at him, hurling a loose oxygen tank into the villain's side, smashing it against his arm. "Pick on someone your own size!"

His sonic canon whipped out and beaned Luthor in the gut, winding him even through the mechsuit. Cyborg got two more shots in before running up and slugging Luthor in the chest.

Luthor's arm still panged from the oxygen tank and he could feel the metal shell of his suit buckling under the teen's robotic fists. Angrily, he stopped one of Cyborg's hand, catching his fist in a palm. His other hand charged up his kryptonite laser—he knew it probably wouldn't affect the teenager like it did the Man of Steel but he was incensed enough that blasting his opponent's head with a radioactive isotope felt like it'd be very satisfying.

Before he could let loose Kilowatt tagged him from behind, touching a hand to Luthor's back and surging electricity up through his mechsuit.

"NNGH!" Luthor grunted, seizing up as the shock passed through him.

It blew circuits and wiring all through the suit, breaking both palm lasers, making his limbs almost deadweight. The internal hydraulics strained as Luthor forced himself to turn around and make a grab for the blue Titan.

"Son of a—!" he spat.

His fist was stopped.

Luthor's head whipped to the side and his eyes widened with terror at the sight of Superman casually holding him back by one hand around a mechsuit finger.

"Watch the language, Luthor," Superman chided. "There are kids around."

Luthor groaned and thought _several_ choice words that he never got a chance to say before Superman wrenched him forward by the arm and planted a knee in his diaphragm, then hurled him across the room past Black Adam and Orca and the Titans that beset them.

-TT-

Robin pushed himself upright, using his staff as support. Kilowatt and Cyborg both turned to him for instruction, limbs poised to leap into action as soon as he directed them.

The Boy Wonder glanced over the battlefield in a flash.

"Kilowatt, Black Adam," he ordered, pointing. "Cyborg, help Starfire." He pointed in the other direction, where Starfire was busy facing off against Mongul with Kole, Gnarrk, and Beast Boy, putting up a good fight.

They sprang off, loosed like arrows.

Robin gripped his staff and tracked Cyborg, watching Superman finish off Luthor and turn to help with Mongul. The warlord was howling in pain, reaching back and plucking a green lion off his neck. Beast Boy's teeth had sunk deep; even from a distance Robin could see alien blood trickling down Mongul's collar.

Mongul flung the changeling away.

Robin rushed forward to reach him before Scarecrow did.

-TT-

Beast Boy turned back to normal as he hit the ground. He lay there a moment, winded, then rolled himself up with a groan.

"Beast Boy, watch out!" he heard Robin shout from behind him.

The shape-shifter looked up in time to catch a burst of yellow gas in the face.

He yiped, covering his face too late, scrambling back, feeling his head grow warm. He pulled his hands away, seeing his vision blur and waver, vaguely hearing Robin's furious yell and feeling the breath of air as the boy passed by to attack his attacker.

The tall thin figure dressed in rags and a gaudy straw mask seemed to shimmer and change form as Beast Boy watched, growing taller, more fearsome, face stretching with a ghastly yellow-glowing grin as he towered over the room.

Thinking frantically, Beast Boy shifted.

He became a jellyfish. A creature with neither lungs to retain the poison nor a brain to comprehend the hallucinations.

And his head cleared at once.

Shifting back, he shook his head, giving a grin of his own as the room went back to normal.

"Whew!" he puffed out. "That stuff's no joke!"

Noticing a concerned Raven hovering near him, he gave a quick thumbs up and then was back on his feet, scanning the room to pick his opponent. Titans East had Vandal well in hand, driving him closer and closer to the wall. Morgaine threw spells at a yellow blur that Beast Boy presumed was Kid Flash. Black Adam was beset on all sides by Pantha, Red Star, Bushido, and the storm brothers. And almost half the League was freed and recovering.

 _Hmm,_ he considered, putting a hand to his chin. _Who's left?_

A bright blast of fire drew his gaze and he looked to see where Titans Oceanic assailed a roaring, implacable Grodd.

Fighting a giant gorilla? Been there, done that.

His attention shifted to where Batman was wailing on Orca with a pair of electrically-charged brass knuckles.

Now fighting a giant bipedal killer whale? _That_ he hadn't done before.

He quickly shifted into a ram and entered the fight head-first, bashing Orca in the legs and knocking the villain to the floor.

-TT-

For her size, the red-haired flying girl was remarkably strong. Stronger even than the prehistoric caveman wielding his crystal companion like a club and the weird fishy creature that had puffed itself up to twice its size.

Mongul was irritated to see that she also seemed to have laser eyes, like Superman.

The searing green beams blasted across his arms and Mongul howled in pain as it hurt, actually _hurt_ , all across his yellow skin, raising blisters.

"You'll pay for that insult you miserable little worm!" he yelled, swinging a heavy fist at her.

She backed up in the air but Superman had already stepped in front of her, catching Mongul's fist.

"Her name is Starfire," he said calmly. "And she's the second-born princess of the planet Tamaran. I'd show a little more decorum."

He released Mongul's fist and stepped out of range of the next blow, turning his head towards Starfire.

She nodded.

They both wound up, drawing back their fists.

-TT-

A thunderous _CRASH!_ sounded across the room and the floor vibrated from the hit, but Robin didn't have time to turn around and look, occupied as he was dodging and ducking Scarecrow's clumsy but vicious fisticuffs.

He spun on his heel, slashing a kick into the man's side that sent him crashing into a console. The villain was up momentarily, charging with a yell, and Robin blocked the punches he threw with ease.

"These aren't your usual conspirators, Crane," he pointed out. A hard jab to Scarecrow's stomach bought them both breathing room. "How'd you get invited to join up with the bigwigs?" he asked, eyes narrow.

Scarecrow stumbled back, holding his stomach, but when he looked up at Robin he had a eerie grin behind the stitched-up one on his mask. "It's easy, my dear boy," he said, bringing his hands out, revealing something glinting on his index finger, "when you have the right _tools!_ "

The word was punctuated by a double-blast of fear gas and a bolt of shocking yellow energy. Robin felt the beam hit his chest and cried out, falling back, his head passing through the cloud of gas as he dropped backwards.

Robin shook his head furiously, trying to fight off the creeping panic starting to rush through him. He'd long been inoculated against most versions of Scarecrow's fear gas but this? This was something... _different._

Sounds blurred around him. He struggled to keep focus. He blinked up at Scarecrow, one hand holding his face.

The villain had his fist extended out, proudly displaying the small gold ring on his left hand.

"A little gift," he explained, smug grin almost cracking his face now. "From your Lantern's friend Sinestro."

He blasted another beam at Robin and the Boy Wonder snapped back, head smacking the floor, writhing under the assault. His teeth clenched as he held in the scream that wanted to burst from him. Worse than the burning pain of the yellow lantern energy coursing over him was the horrible sense of being _probed,_ of something rooting about, invading his mind, searching for things he was afraid of. Robin called on all his mental training to resist giving them up.

Both hands clenched at his head now, his eyes squeezed closed. Scarecrow's cackling rose above the sound of the energy blast burning, burning him—

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A feathery wave of black matter blasted across the open space and smacked Scarecrow away.

Robin gasped, his eyes shooting open, freed of the ring's influence.

"Robin!" Starfire cried, flying across the battlefield and landing next to him worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"That's new," Robin groaned, slowly rolling back upright. He fumbled a bit for Starfire's hand, grasping it tightly as she helped him up.

"I've got it," Raven promised, eyes glowing and dark matter gathering around her hands.

She floated off, an odd chill following behind her.

-TT-

Scarecrow hadn't let Raven's hit keep him down for long. Multiple canisters of gas spilled from him, scattering across the battlefield, popping open and spewing their contents.

Startled screams alerted the speedsters, who broke off from their own fights and zipped around the room, dispersing and thinning the clouds with gusts of wind. Raven felt them rush by her with a whoosh, red-and-yellow and red-and-white streaks passing before her eyes, lifting her hair.

The Gotham villain was too busy blasting yellow lantern energy into a downed Titans East. He had Bumblebee on the floor, blind with panic, frantically swatting at dozens of little yellow glowing spiders that crawled all over her skin.

"Get 'em off me!" she cried. "Get 'em _off!_ "

Aqualad recovered enough to toss the contents of his canteen full force into Scarecrow's face. The man's concentration broke and he stepped back, sputtering.

He yanked the sodden mask from his face, blinking the water out of his eyes.

"So I hear your gimmick is scaring people," came a low raspy voice from behind him.

Scarecrow whipped around and then... hesitated, the sight of her floating there with blank glowing eyes giving him some pause.

Raven tilted her head just slightly.

"Want to see what _real_ fear feels like?" she asked ominously, dark shadows billowing out from under her cloak as she rose higher.

There was only a moment more of hesitation—just a quick flash really—and then Scarecrow furiously blasted at her with the yellow lantern ring.

Raven's own dark energy exploded out of her hands to meet it, the two beams clashing, pushing against each other.

Sparks flew from the collision and the overhead lights flickered.

The ebony beam shoved forward, easily pushing Scarecrow's lantern blast back. The villain concentrated harder, pouring more mental effort into his beam. But he was no trained Lantern. His beam shrank and shrank and with it his confidence. He gaped up at the floating empath; with her cloak billowed out and her face shadowed save for her eyes she appeared like some hellish specter.

She casually swatted aside the remains of his beam, dark tendril darting in and curling around his finger, yanking the lantern ring from his hand.

Scarecrow fell back, scrabbling away, cold dread washing up through him.

"No... no!" he cried, holding up a hand pitifully as a huge black bird split from Raven's body and swooped down, hurtling towards him.

A bloodcurdling shriek rent the air.

-TT-

Hot Spot dodged to the side, letting Grodd's large fist make a heavy whoosh above his head. Argent reached in with a plasma ribbon, wrapping around the fist that had almost flattened her boyfriend and yanking Grodd back in the other direction.

Grodd jerked his hand back, shattering the ribbon, the snap traveling up into Argent's arms and making her yelp.

Ravager darted in, slashing her sword in quick silver flashes. Grodd was surprisingly nimble on his feet, shifting out of the way like Ravager was nothing more than an annoying insect. He slugged her hard in the shoulder, felling her.

Wildebeest rushed in next, grappling with the gorilla. Great arms traded heavy vicious blows, pushing, shoving, punching. Heat seared across Grodd's side, singing his fur, and the villain snarled.

He snapped his teeth at Hot Spot, massive jaws closing with an audible clamp.

A horn blast sounded and Grodd's next step went awry as his foot sank into a portal that had opened up beneath him.

He yanked his foot back.

As he stumbled, Wildebeest maneuvered around behind him, holding the villain back by his underarms. A red clamp pinched Grodd's head. His expression flashed with fury as he was forced to look down at the small blonde-haired Titan waiting in a slight crouch in front of him.

_Contact._

Jericho began to turn incorporeal, leaving the floor and flying towards Grodd—

—only to hit some kind of solid barrier and be flung back, colliding with Argent.

Grodd smashed his head into Wildebeest's chin, wrestling free as the Titan staggered back in pain. One great paw reached out, grabbing Jericho's ankle and dragging him along the floor.

Jericho's eyes widened and his fingers scrambled frantically for purchase.

"Impudent worm," the villain sneered, lifting the boy up, casually transferring him to the other paw and closing thick fingers around his throat. "I am not so weak-minded as _that!_ "

"Hey!"

The indignant shout was accompanied by a searing slash from Ravager's sword. Grodd howled in pain.

Ravager brought her blade down on Grodd's wrist, once, twice, forcing him to drop Jericho. The silver-haired girl placed herself immediately between them.

"Leave my brother alone you big dumb monkey!" she yelled, brandishing her sword protectively.

Grodd sputtered. "Monkey?!" he screeched, eyes popping apoplectically. He swung out, in heavy strikes that Ravager avoided easily. "I. Am. An. _Ape!_ " he shouted furiously.

Argent blocked his fist with a solid red barrier, stopping his outrage for a moment.

"Whatever you are," she said, sending the barrier slamming into Grodd's face.

"You are toast!" Hot Spot finished, sending a plume of flame scorching towards Grodd's sensitive feet.

Grodd hopped back, his toes burning, slapping at the tiny tongues of fire.

He heard the horn sound, but couldn't stop himself from tilting backwards into the portal.

The last thing he saw was Herald's satisfied nod before he was dumped into the cell with Cheetah, who squawked as his bulk came down on her.

-TT-

Black Adam's lightning barrage was interrupted by Pantha wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and straight-up suplexing him into the floor.

Pain exploded across the back of his head. Reactively he sent energy coursing up and down his body.

Pantha grunted and let go.

Black Adam barely got a chance to recover, for Red Star was now shooting his crimson beams at him. Black Adam intercepted with ferocious tendrils of lightning, pushing Red Star's onslaught back.

Bushido came on, aiming quick strikes with his sword towards joints and weak points. Several quick jabs did little to actually hurt the villain, with his enhanced durability and invulnerability, but it did distract him, allowing Pantha to get in close again and slug him a good one.

A hiss escaped the villain as he felt her punch pound into his side. He whipped around, slamming an arm across her chest to send her flying.

Red Star's beam pushed harder, forcing Black Adam to step back, return both hands to his lightning stream to keep the pulsing red energy at bay.

Kilowatt suddenly beaned him with a thrown ball of electricity.

Infuriated, Black Adam disengaged from his bout with Red Star, ducking under the red beam and pushing off from the ground. A hard fist to Kilowatt's face spilled the Titan on the floor.

Black Adam drew back his arm for another blow.

Thunder and Lightning immediately assailed him, their powers crashing all around him. Black Adam crossed his arms, covering his head and waited until they closed in.

Then he threw back his head and yelled, "SHAZAM!"

Golden lightning split down from the ceiling, inundating the area just around him. The force was so intense it threw everyone in the vicinity aside, even knocking down Titans across the room. Thunder covered his eyes against the horrible blinding light, reaching out a hand.

"Brother!" he called.

He blinked rapidly, straining his eyes to see.

A wavering yellow blur resolved itself into the figure of his brother, still floating in the air, unmoved, the golden lightning arcing and sparking across his body in gentle waves.

"That..." Lightning said, giggling, a manic grin on his face, "... _tingles!_ "

Black Adam had time for a split-second moment of horror before the storm brothers recovered. Thunder charged a great thunderclap and Lightning let Black Adam's own powers surge through him and combine with his own.

Both of them sent out a blast and a second later Kilowatt and Red Star added their own.

All four converged on Black Adam with the force of a bomb.

-TT-

_KABLAM!_

The massive concussive force of the blast rattled the room even more than Black Adam's lightning had; even Mongul stumbled and was unseated from his feet briefly.

The remaining Black Mercys shrieked and recoiled, a couple outright dropping limp off the last few Leaguers.

Green Arrow gave a gasp as he came to, collapsing to his hands and knees, shaking his head and blinking hard.

"What in God's name?" he blurted.

Wonder Woman grasped his arm, helping him to his feet.

"There is no time to explain," she said. "Quickly! We must make sure Vandal Savage does not escape!" she added urgently.

"I'm on Miss Magic!" volunteered Wonder Girl, punching one gloved hand into the other and then launching fist-first towards Morgaine.

Melvin reached up for Bobby's paw. "Bobby! Come on! We gotta block the exits!"

She and her brothers and her giant plush friend rushed off.

-TT-

Morgaine's staff clashed against Troia and Wonder Girl's bracers with loud metal clanging, the vibrations moving up through the girls' arms.

A sparking burst of magic blew them both back and Morgaine brandished her staff, whole body tense with irritation and anger.

Which only increased as Kid Flash buzzed her again.

"Infernal—!" she cried.

_Zap! Zap! Zap!_

The magic blasts followed on his heels as he sped off, running parallel to the wall.

"You sound tense," came Jinx's voice, floating casually above the din of battle. The enchantress sashayed calmly back into range, raising a hand. "Why don't you take a _seat!_ "

A hex crested out and smacked Morgaine in the chest, knocking her over. The sorceress heaved herself up, her staff crackling with power.

"Hexes? _Really_ now." In spite of everything Morgaine chuckled. She sent Troia and Wonder Girl away with another flick of her staff, rounding on the younger sorceress who had dared challenge her at her own game. She stalked towards Jinx, twirling her staff idly. "Your paltry parlor tricks are no match for _real_ magic, little witch."

Jinx's eyes began to glow ominously, her face twisting.

"You wanna bet?" she growled.

Morgaine raised her staff and—

—blinked, finding her hands suddenly empty.

Her head whipped around and she gaped at Kid Flash, leaning against the wall and tapping her staff on his shoulder.

"Oh, were you looking for this?" he asked cheekily.

As she was sputtering, a hex hit her shoulder.

And then another one her knee.

She turned back around; another one hit her stomach. She absorbed the hit with a grunt, stepping backwards.

Hex after hex was thrown at her, Jinx's arms in continuous motion. She didn't slow down, didn't pause.

With a yell she hurled one last pink blast at the sorceress.

Morgaine gasped in shock and pain as the spell slashed across her face, splitting a hole in her mask. Pieces dropped to the floor, the woman trying in vain to cover the gap.

As the villainess looked up, Troia and Wonder Girl caught a glimpse through the crack of one blue eye widening in fear, before their fists plowed into Morgaine's chest and sent her careening across the room.

-TT-

Tramm was knocked aside only to have to his place taken up by Pantha and Red Star, running over from their finished fight with Black Adam. Both heroes brought their enhanced strength to bear, slugging Mongol in the side.

He staggered, clutching his ribs with one hand.

Starbolts strafed his backs and he howled, furiously, swinging an arm out to try and swat Starfire from the air.

A golden lasso looped around his wrist, yanking his hand back. Wonder Woman pulled herself forward, giving Mongol a good uppercut to the chin.

He got no respite, for Gnarrk charged in and cracked a solidified Kole across his other cheek.

Dazed, the warlord stumbled back, dropping briefly to one knee.

The heroes paused their attack for a moment, the Titans allowing Superman to step forward and approach.

"We can keep going," the Man of Steel said, "but I think you know by now you're outnumbered."

Mongol glared up, eyes scanning the room. His beautiful Black Mercys were dead on the floor. That infernal green boy and the Titans' demon witch were finishing off Orca, the changeling wailing on the villainess in bear form as the empath blasted her with dark matter. Vandal was trying to flee, the coward, but his path was blocked, Titans and Leaguers barring the doors.

He pushed back to his feet in defiance.

"It matters not how many of you there are, when you are all worms!" he spat.

"Mmm, wrong answer my friend," quipped Pantha, cracking her knuckles.

In seconds, the group was upon him. Wonder Woman yanked on the lasso still around his arm, nearly dislocating his shoulder. Más and Menos buzzed his feet, tripping him up. He was hit by all manner of blasts from Red Star and Lightning, Jinx and Starfire, Cyborg, and even Hot Spot, Argent, and Raven were adding their powers now. They wailed and wailed on him and the villain grew increasingly dazed, confusion settling over his features, his limbs tiring, flailing heavily but unable to land hits in his beleaguered state.

Starfire punched him into Superman's path and the last thing he saw was a moving flash of blue and red.

-TT-

"Leave Bobby alone!" Melvin yelled, kicking Vandal Savage's shins as he tried to force his way past.

With a huff, he picked her up bodily and moved to toss her behind him, but Bobby ducked down to protect his mistress, headbutting Vandal across the nose.

"Ungh!" he cried, collapsing to the floor and dropping her.

When he looked up from rubbing his face, he was surrounded on all sides by the Justice League.

"Going somewhere?" asked Green Lantern, charging his ring threateningly.

Vandal took one long glance around the room. Nothing but fallen villains and victorious heroes. His Legion of Doom, brought low by children.

All of whom were turning towards him.

With a heavy, aggravated sigh, he raised his hands.

-TT-

"'You are toast.' _Really_ , darling?" Argent groaned.

"It was a good line!" Hot Spot argued vehemently. "I have fire powers, I just about barbecued him, come on!"

She raised her face from her palm with a tired smile. "If you insist, love," she said affectionately.

Hot Spot scowled but Raven floating over softly interrupted any further argument.

"Anyone injured?" she asked, glancing around them. Her gaze fell across Jericho, who was sitting calmly on a console, one hand gingerly nursing his throat, with his sister hovering close nearby.

 _Just some bruising,_ he told her, dropping his hand to sign when he caught her eyes. _Nothing actually damaged._ He grinned. _Well, not any more than it already was_ , he added, earning him an unamused shoulder punch from Ravager.

Raven nodded, drifting off to another cluster of people. She passed Batman gathering blood samples from Titans East, to use in synthesizing a new antidote for Scarecrow's latest fear gas. Martian Manhunter was making the rounds as well, checking in with the League members who had been under the Black Mercy, offering whatever consolation and telepathic ease he could.

The room buzzed with a chaotic swirl of emotion. Adrenaline-fueled excitement ran high, triumph and victory twinged with just a hint of sadness. Raven moved slowly through all of it, healing where she could, ending up at the bright center of elation and positive emotion that was Superman and a gleefully babbling Beast Boy.

"So then I went T-Rex for the first time, which was really cool 'cause like all of a sudden I was bigger and stronger and it felt like I could bite through anything—" he was gushing, to polite nods and smiles from Superman. Beast Boy noticed her approaching. "Oh hey Raven!" he greeted.

Smiling faintly, Raven reached towards his back. "Hold still," she told him. "I need to get that cut on your shoulder."

"Thanks!" Turning back to Superman he continued. "Anyway, this is Raven. Have you met Raven? She's great, she's got these spooky dark magic powers that are reaaaally creepy—in a good way!" he added quickly.

Superman grinned broadly. "You all sound like a remarkable group of kids."

The praise gave Beast Boy heart palpitations that made Raven nervous for a fraction of a second.

Several red, yellow, and white blurs came to a stop next to them.

 _"Todo listo!"_ Más and Menos announced.

"That's the last of them," Flash told Superman. "Watchtower's clean."

"Good," grunted Batman, stepping up into their circle as well. He handed his vials to Kid Flash. "Take these down to the science lab."

Kid Flash saluted. "Aye aye, Bats!" he said, zipping off.

The older Flash beamed after him. "Ah I love that kid," he gushed with affection. "Chip off the old block." All-business again, he turned to Batman. "Figure out how they broke in?" he asked.

"Exploit in the transporter code," Batman explained. He pointed toward the main center console, where Cyborg and Green Arrow had a panel open, working with tools and wires plugged into Cyborg's arm. "Cyborg's patching it now."

"Are you sure it's safe for him to be wiring in to the main computer like that?" the voice of Black Canary drifted in, as she came over to join them.

Raven sensed Beast Boy's rush of indignation as he opened his mouth to defend his friend.

"Hey, he's not gonna break anything!"

Black Canary put up her hands. "I just mean there's a lot of information and complicated code in the databanks. Sure it won't overwhelm him?"

It was Robin who came to Cyborg's defense this time, walking up to their ever-growing knot with one arm comfortably holding Starfire's waist.

"Cyborg knows his way around a mainframe," he told Canary confidently.

Starfire nodded. "Yes, he will soon have your systems up and running in the no time!" she added.

On cue, Cyborg straightened, yanking the wires out of his arms. "Aaaaand done!" he announced proudly. He brushed off his hands. "Added a secondary layer of 16-key encryption and some new security protocols in case this ever happens again."

"Let's hope it doesn't," said Aquaman, crossing his arms as he joined them.

Some imperceptible shift seemed to happen. Without needing to say anything, the Titans began to break off from their own conversations and form up, gathering behind Robin as the Justice League lined up across from them.

"Still," Green Lantern said as he joined the line, a rare grin on his face. "You kids did all right."

Their faces shone out with pride, Kole even blushing and hiding behind Gnarrk's shoulder bashfully.

With a glance at the rest of the League, Superman took a step forward.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say... thank you."

"Was our pleasure," Bumblebee quipped out, to nods of agreement from various Titans.

Wonder Woman smiled at the group as she squeezed in beside Superman and Batman. "We owe you all a great debt of gratitude," she said. "And we would be happy to let you fight alongside us any time."

"Thought you'd say that," Cyborg said.

With a tap on his arm, the main screen lit up. A world map marked with tiny yellow beacons appeared, each dot blinking steadily.

"While I was in, I connected the T-comm network up to your communications relay and programmed an activation to a keyboard command on the main console," he told them, pointing out the relevant parts of the panel. "Just type in the command and you have access."

The greenish light from the display splashed across the side of Robin's face as he stepped forward.

"If you ever need us," he said, eyes looking straight ahead at Batman, expression serious as he made his promise, "the Titans will be ready."

Beast Boy and Raven moved off, fading into the group lineup, taking up places beside their leader as they all stood tall in front of the League, young heroes growing up before their eyes, the next generation of protectors and defenders.

Robin's face was confident and determined.

"When there's trouble, you know who to call," he said.

"So we do," chuckled Superman. "So we do."

And the sun creeping around the edge of the Earth shone in through the window behind them, gleaming on the Titans' heads and framing them against a radiant backdrop of silver stars.

**TEEN TITANS GO!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *blows kisses* Adieu my dear readers! I love you all.


End file.
